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Business and Economic News
Angela Davis and Nikhil Kumaran
Updated:

Meet barbers who understand their work is about more than just a haircut

Three men pose for a portrait
Teto Wilson (left), founder and owner of Wilson’s Image Barbers & Stylists in North Minneapolis and Bilal Saleem (center), owner of Mr. B’s Barbershop in the downtown St. Paul skyway, and Josh Kirkpatrick (right), owner of Capitol Barbers, a barbershop that caters to many state government workers in St. Paul and Waconia Barbers, pose for a portrait in an MPR News studio in St. Paul on Monday.
Nikhil Kumaran | MPR

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Barbers are people of many talents. They need to have a range of skills to serve customers with different hair textures, facial shapes and style choices. 

But at its core, being a barber is about much more than just cutting men’s hair.

Being able to make conversation is also important — whether it’s light-hearted banter or just being a good listener. For a lot of men, the barbershop is where you go to take your mind off work, talk sports and de-stress.

MPR News host Angela Davis takes a peek behind the scenes of the barbershop. She talks with three barbers who understand their work is not just about the haircut. It’s about the connection. These pros don’t just hold the clippers — they help create a space where everyone feels like family.

four people sitting in an MPR News studio
MPR News host Angela Davis (left) talks with Bilal Saleem (center left), owner of Mr. B’s Barbershop in the downtown St. Paul skyway, Josh Kirkpatrick (center right), owner of Capitol Barbers, a barbershop that caters to many state government workers in St. Paul and Waconia Barbers and Teto Wilson (right), founder and owner of Wilson’s Image Barbers & Stylists in North Minneapolis, in an MPR News studio in St. Paul on Monday.
Nikhil Kumaran | MPR News

Guests:  

  • Bilal Saleem is the owner of Mr. B’s Barbershop in the downtown St. Paul skyway. He has been cutting hair for more than 30 years.

  • Teto Wilson is the founder and owner of Wilson’s Image Barbers & Stylists in north Minneapolis. His other businesses include Image Renewal Organics, an all-natural skin and haircare line, and the Image 73 Apparel line.

  • Josh Kirkpatrick is the owner of Capitol Barbers, a barbershop that caters to many government workers in St. Paul, and Waconia Barbers. He has been cutting hair for 20 years and was also a barber instructor at Minneapolis Community & Technical College.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.  

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.