Myke Cummings, the co-owner of Barber Metrix with his wife Domina have been operating a new style of barbershop on wheels.
“I operate my business as a judgment free zone. We have real good conversation, positive conversation,” said Cummings. He then continues “I used to work in a barbershop with a lot of people, a lot of co-workers. I didn’t feel safe working in that environment when Corona hit, so me and Domina, my business partner, we got creative and came up with this concept,”
Since the beginning of 2021 they have worked from a nearly ruined bus parked at W 125 Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in New Work.
“When we got the vehicle we had to take out rows of chairs that was in here because it was rows of seats, you know, this was like a church bus,” said Myke.
After months of renovating the floors and installing seats for clients, they hit the ground running, or driving, last Christmas Eve.
“The first couple of days that we actually opened it was a little nerve-racking,” said Domina Lazaro, co-owner of Barber Metrix. “We weren’t sure how people were going to take our business. After the first couple of weeks, we started to see the clients come in. We got so many more walk-ins than the last place he was cutting hair at.”
The couple joins the growing number of other mobile barbershops popping up throughout Harlem. Linwood Dillard is known as ‘Da Barber Godd’ and claims he’s the first mobile barbershop in the neighbourhood.