Hi Emanuel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born and raised in NYC (the Bronx) moved to Florida in 2014 at the age of 27 with no family just myself in search of a better life. Started working as a cook at bonefish bar and grill, got fired… and figured let me go to what I know and that was cutting hair. Was given the opportunity to work at a shop called the dug out on Waters Ave. After a year and half was fired for unknown reasons. Then ended going to a shop called Gold cuts on Hillsborough Ave… worked there for 3 1/2 years .. hit a Plateau kept making the same amount of money but I wanted more… so I teamed up with an ex-friend of mines by the name of Alexis Lopez (Tony Toca) we sat down and brainstormed for days and decided to open up a shop together… soon after we had issues and he decided it wasn’t his cup of tea so I bought him out… and kept the shop running even after COVID hit… but they out the years I’ve stepped out the shop to cut homeless people to try to give them another look at life or a chance to get a job…
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In the process of trying to get my life together, I was in the wrong place wrong time in 2014 was stabbed 13x two weeks after getting my first shot at a barbershop… I survived that and when I woke up from surgery, my mom was there and wanted to take me back to NYC but I refused… Three weeks later the people I was staying with no longer wanted to give me a place to live… so I was homeless for a period of 4-6 weeks. Still kept going to work but at the same time dealing with 40 stitches 40 staples from the stab wounds and surgery. I kept my head held high and told myself there has to be more to my life than this dead-end… so I started to look for a one bedroom apartment. Found it, but it wouldn’t be ready for another three weeks so I kept working and was sleeping in a complex that had a pool at night time and left before maintenance seen me there .. because I had a gastric bypass I couldn’t eat like I normally would so I went from 235lbs to 150lbs in a matter of weeks… the hard part was not having clientele to stack up money to move… so I was first one in last one out… weekends I would watch every barber cut hair and I would sit and watch them and said one day that would be me… had no car I walked everywhere. Then fired the first year lost clientele then had to start over at a new shop.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What I’m I most known for? Well, I’m a New Yorker from the way I dress walk and talk… that I am no round to be but the way it carries into my professional life well to me it’s more about the quality of not just the service but attitude. I specialize in fades and beards… I am proud of being able to be an example to the younger generations because we all aren’t born in a life where our parents gave us everything but to be able to take the little bit of knowledge we do have and be able to provide a shop I can call my own but share it with other individuals that share my same passion.
How do you think about luck?
While working at gold cut barbershop, I had asked the owner to change the music and he replied to me “if you don’t like the music either put your headphones on or open up your own shop” while I had a client in the chair… when I finished I jumped in my car and just went for a drive to blow steam. I already had plans on opening up a shop but I couldn’t find a location and if I did, it didn’t have parking or the rent was too high. So I was driving on Hillsborough Ave turned left on Florida made another left on waters and was speeding little did I know there was a cop behind me hit me with the lights and I pulled over on a plaza that was empty… got a ticket… after the cop left I seen a big for rent sign the window looked inside looked at the parking lot and called the number… I met the agent the next day I see the place and shot my shot and went for it my ex Business partner agreed I did all the paperwork then we hit another wall while running a background check she told me I can’t be approved because I was a felon clearly she made a mistake because on the dates that those crimes were committed I was home because of a fractured ankle … she ran it again and boom APPROVED, not only that happen but because the building needed so much work she gave me three months free rent.
Pricing:
- Haircut no beard $15+
- Haircut no beard $15+
- Kids $12+
- Teens $15+
Contact Info:
- Address: 3301 W Waters Ave Ste 102 Tampa Florida 33614
- Email: nylegendsbarbershop@gmail.com
- Instagram: Ny_legends_barbershop
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRbOTDazTiRpmZ7haYU8IJQ
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