BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — For 250 years, America has been built on stories that connect us, and one such connection is the bond formed at the barbershop.
In Bakersfield, a barbershop located off Calloway Drive in northwest Bakersfield is upholding these traditional values.
Danny Cuellar, a partner and owner of the shop for two years, has been a barber for over 32 years. Inspired by his grandfather, a World War II veteran and former prisoner of war, Cuellar has defined the shop’s values as a “traditional barbershop.”
“My grandfather, he fought in World War II, who raised me, and he was also a prisoner of war for three years,” Cuellar said. “So, the things that went on, fighting for our country, and then also myself, just being an American and being proud of what stands for and just continually to pass down the positive of what’s going on in our country and what’s going on here.”
Cuellar believes that something as simple as a haircut can bring people together. “I think it’s mainly because it keeps people that are positive and all of us interacting with each other — off of just what they call GP, just general purpose, and it helps all of us stay on the same common ground, on the same mission, which is help each other out and continue to try to make a better world. Is one attitude at a time, one haircut at a time,” he said.
Cuellar emphasizes the role barbers and stylists play in enhancing individuals’ appearance and confidence. “I just feel personally, it makes you feel good, and then it also helps you out with people, how people look at you, they see you’re serious, and they take you serious. You’re your own business. You’re your own person. So, as you’re going through life, people see that you’re, they can take you a little more serious, and they see that you’re somebody that they might want to do business with,” Cuellar said.