MANSFIELD — Danny Brown, a Mansfield native, said his dreams have come true during a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the opening of the city’s newest barber establishment.
Brown said his barber shop, Brown Cuts and Styles, has already started to line up with customers from the immediate neighborhood. The shop is at 157 W. Second St.
“As long as you got some hair, I can cut it,” Brown said with a laugh.
The owner said he acquired his barber license recently because a family member complimented him on his skills. “I’ve been cutting for a long time but I’ve never showed the world that I can cut.”
The building was formerly a restaurant, but Brown bought it through the Richland County Land Bank for $1,500 earlier in the year.
Chairman of the land bank and county treasurer, Bart Hamilton, called the property a diamond in the rough.
“It’s amazing what you’ve done,” Hamilton addressed Brown during the ribbon cutting ceremony. “And how far you’ve come. Thank you. We need people like you to make this happen.”
In a separate interview, Hamilton said the idea of the county’s land bank is keep prices of residential and commercial properties low in order for the respective owners to invest more funds in renovating the building.
“This place was pretty rough,” Hamilton said. “But he (Brown) worked hard and put together a true business plan.”
He, and others representing the city and county, hopes the building’s revitalization will spark other area business owners to bolster the community’s businesses and residential properties. Hamilton said the neighborhood needs a reboot.
“We have very few commercial properties right now. But there are many residentials and this is a good example of what can happen,” Hamilton said, adding that Rex’s in the old Peterson tire building was another commercial property the land bank owned but is now a successful establishment.
Brown said he wants to bring jobs to youth in the neighborhood.
“That’s my main goal. It’s really kind of dead down here. And plus, all the kids know me. And everybody keep asking me, ‘man, I need a job, I need a job.’ So I mean, for the young kids, I tell them you get good grades and do good in school, you can come down here and sweep up some hair or something, clean up,” he said.
“I just really want to show them they can turn a negative into a positive.”
Currently, the shop is operated by Brown and his “main man,” Paul. Although Brown does not have a specialty in cutting style, he said he can cut either male or female hair, young or old. He also trims beards.
Brown Cuts and Styles is open from Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is located at the corner of East Second and Hedges Streets, across the street from the abandoned Nicholson’s Grocery.
*Correction: The original story said the other commercial property belonging to the Richland County Lank Bank was Rex Gilbert Auto Electric.
