Look Who it Was Random video

See inside Shalom Barber Shop on Staten Island

4,123 views · Published 6 November 2018 · 1:00 · Indexed 10 October 2026

Channel: Staten Island Advance · 2018 · News & Politics

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Shalom Gruber, 20, has been cutting hair since the age of 13 -- first his own, then his friends, and later his coworkers.
“I taught myself how to cut [hair]," he said. “I didn’t have money to get my haircut all the time when I was young, and my hair grows fast. I would give myself some touch-ups and shape-ups,” he said.
Because he was raised by a single mother, he said he learned from a young age that hard work pays off.
“I learned from her [his mother] how to work hard and get by on my own,” he admits.
“People started liking my shape-ups and I started cutting my close friends' hair,” added Gruber.
This soon morphed into a hobby that he thoroughly enjoyed.
“I liked to do it. It was fun. ...I enjoy giving a good haircut. I like making someone look good. I like that I can boost someone else’s self esteem,” Gruber said.
A self-proclaimed hustler, he started working in a restaurant when he was 15 years old. But even there he found himself cutting hair more than clearing tables.
“I starting cutting everyone’s hair in every job I had. I always worked hard,” he said.
Soon, he started cutting hair professionally and managed a local shop -- all before he was 20 years old. He even launched his own cleaning business before becoming a barber shop owner.
And earlier this month he opened Shalom Styles in Willowbrook. (Video by Xavier Pena)

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