The Confident Barbershop owner Wathiq Alakelee
Located in the corner of a small brick building in Richmond’s West End, Wathiq Alakelee’s The Confident Barbershop has become a not-so-hidden refuge for men.
Alakelee’s attention to detail is present in every inch of the space, from the wood and stone interior that creates a bright and sleek ambiance, to the staff’s hospitality, complete with beverage service and hot towels. And, of course, Alakelee’s patient technique and precision cuts that keep clients coming back.
Alakelee first picked up a pair of scissors as a teenager growing up in Iraq, after his uncle started encouraging him to visit his barbershop. Sometimes, he would protest, even cry. But once inside, he also paid attention. Soon after, Alakelee was offering haircuts to his brother, his cousins and other neighborhood children.
“My uncle was surprised,” Alakelee says. “He told me I was talented.”
Alakelee continued cutting hair until he graduated from business school and moved to Bahrain, where he traded his scissors for a career in insurance. However, a few years later, Alakelee applied for — and was granted — refugee status. He was told he could move to Canada or the United States. He chose America because, he says, “I’m a dreamer.” Then, a friend recommended Richmond, where he settled six years ago.
“Since I arrived in Richmond,” he says, “I love it. I feel home.”
A few months after Alakelee arrived, an Iraqi friend asked him what he wanted to do for work. Alakelee shrugged, then mentioned he used to cut hair. The two searched the internet for what to do next and discovered he would need to complete a barber training program and apprentice under the supervision of a licensed barber.
Alakelee finished his training and settled in at Taylor’s Barbershop in downtown Richmond. For more than two years, he slowly built a client base and a career. At the same time, he was taking English as a Second Language classes at Reynolds and John Tyler community colleges. He was content with his new life.
Then, he moved to Short Pump and saw the potential to make more money in the West End. He also reached out to several barbershop owners in the area and realized they weren’t that different from him. Just as he did in his uncle’s barbershop, he started watching, thinking, taking notes — and hatching a plan to open his own.
The Confident Barbershop opened in November 2020 after Alakelee spent several months sourcing the decor and equipment he envisioned. It wasn’t easy to open a barbershop during a pandemic, but Alakelee says about 100 clients followed him to the new business.
“I’m tough, and I have courage,” he says, “but at the same time, I’m mathematic. I know my numbers.”
Alakelee gives a haircut to Matthew Lessick, a first-time customer who found him on Google.
Word of Alakelee’s skill and service spread quickly. That loyal customer base referred their friends and family, and took to Google, where The Confident Barbershop has earned nearly 450 five-star reviews.
Corey Lane, a senior vice president with the marketing firm Elevation, first met Alakelee when he wandered into Taylor’s Barbershop — without an appointment and about 20 minutes before closing. Still, he says, Alakelee didn’t rush him.
Lane tried to explain his cowlicks, which razor he preferred and how he wanted his hair cut. But he could tell Alakelee, who was still developing his understanding of the English language, wasn’t quite following. In the end, Lane decided to trust the barber and walked out with a stylish and precise haircut.
“I was hooked,” he says. “He earned some loyalty from me for being so accommodating.”
Lane has since followed Alakelee across town, where he says customers come from every corner of Richmond. In addition to providing the perfect haircut, he says Alakelee “has a way of making every customer feel like they’re the only thing in the universe at that moment.”
At The Confident Barbershop, Alakelee aims to offer a relaxing experience and an alternative to the quick-turn barbershops that typically target men.
“I give every man 30 minutes for his haircut, conditioner, shampoo and a little cologne when they leave,” he says. “When they go out, they feel different.”
As Alakelee’s business has grown, so has his vision for what’s possible. In the next five years, he can see himself opening additional locations around Virginia, with the hope of eventually becoming a franchise. He also wants to use the new shops to bring in more Middle Eastern barbers because, he says, “they’re more detailed than anybody.” He’s even considering providing a rent-free apartment for one year to convince barbers to make the move.
“It’s a little bit crazy, but humans are always thinking [about] scale in the future,” he says. “There was no shop two years ago. Now I have a shop, and the shop is growing. So, scaling? Let’s do it.”
Alakelee says the name for his shop comes from his own name — in Arabic, Wathiq means confident and strong — but it’s also what he hopes to impart to every customer who comes through his doors.
“Confidence is key for everything,” he says. “If you’re not confident, you cannot speak in front of people. If you are not confident, you cannot convince people [of] some idea. If you are not confident, you cannot succeed [in] the world.”
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