Downtown hair-cutting school hosts its first-ever ‘Barber Battles’
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)- A new competition in Idaho Falls will allow many local barbers, and aspiring barbers, to show off their skills.
The event will have trophies for the winners of each category and started at noon on Sunday. This is the first time an event like this has been here in Idaho Falls.
"It's very popular and very common for them to have to travel to Boise or Salt Lake City to attend any type of event like this. So the idea was what can we do to bring an event to the community that people wanted to have to drive more than an hour to attend and be able to network and come together and build the community a little bit stronger. In the barber industry," said Marcuse Rodriquez a local barber who organized the competition.
Rodriguez and a fellow organizer PJ, shared the goal was to help create a sense of unity in the barber community.
"It is amazing. It's surreal. You know, at first, seeing the numbers being so little and seeing them increase, it's really heartwarming to know that we're able to reach the community in the way we are trying," PJ said.
"It brings real joy to my heart, sincere, authentic joy by seeing all of these people that I've known at one point or another in time or that I just barely met come together, introducing people to other shop owners, to vendors, and just seeing everybody walking around with a smile. The competitors are so focused in the game, you know, shooting for a first prize, first place prize. And it's it really brings warmth to my heart," Rodriguez said.
Competitors shared it was meaningful for them to be a part of the experience.
"This competition like opens up a whole new are like perspective for like clients and like a whole new like barber worlds like down here," Mino Mendoza a barber shared.
"And so I wanted to take this opportunity to show my skills and be around all the other local barbers here," Austin Belleza a barber shared.
Two other barbers also shared why they wanted to join the profession.
"I served in LDS mission and then I started cutting hair for my companions. And then when I got back, I just tried to continue that and the shop I worked on now graffiti in the owner, and he's been a mentor of mine for a while. He's cut my hair since I was a kid, so he kind of helped me progress along the way and take that extra step to do it," Belleza said.
"So I started cutting. I started cutting hair in my mom's garage. One day I just decided to my own hair, and that changed my life forever. Honestly, honestly, cutting hair, like, really, like, change everything for me," Mendoza said.
