At just 18 years old, Bradford’s newest barber is already opening a new business downtown — Unite Barbershop.
Owner, Yonatan Ben Lulu (YB) is hosting the grand opening of the shop at 18 Holland St. W. this Saturday, Dec. 9 from 12-5 p.m., during which time everyone is welcome to come take a tour, enjoy some free food (including his father’s homemade falafel) and take advantage of 15 per cent off the price of any haircut — a deal that’s planned to run until Dec. 16.
The shop offers haircuts for kids and adults, shaves and trims for men’s beards and moustaches, and YB is in the process of becoming certified to style women’s hair as well — a service he hopes to offer in future years.
“I just want to be able to bring people together, from different hair textures to different walks of life. At the end of the day, they’re going to be sitting in the same chair,” he said.
To that end, he has a large pin board where patrons will be able to post community notices and share references for other local businesses.
A recent graduate from Bradford District High School (BDHS), YB has already been cutting hair for almost four years, since Gradience Barbershop gave him his start during the pandemic.
“I was in Grade 9 and everything shut down, so there was nothing to do. Online school was something no one did,” he said. “When I was in high school, thank God I had this, because I don’t know where I would have been without it. There’s a lot of bad influences around.”
Working in the shop didn’t just keep YB busy and out of trouble though; it filled him with an entrepreneurial spirit and led to him setting a goal of opening his own business before he turned 19.
“I was always looking do my own thing, to spread my wings,” he said. “I really wanted to have a place that I could keep for my whole life.”
Bucking the trend of many young people who long to leave the place they grew up, YB has committed to a long-term lease and wanted to keep his business in Bradford because “I just always loved the town.”
While some exterior updates will need to wait until spring, YB has already invested in transforming the interior of the shop with lighting and equipment that offers modern design with a classic feel.
In compliment to that, YB is also bringing back some traditional techniques including the old-style lather shaves and hot-towel service.
“I think that’s something that was lost in the craft,” he said, noting that not all barbers offer it anymore, even though dry shaving can irritate many people’s skin leading to bumps and rashes.
“When you use that lather, when you open up the pores, when you have that steam on the face, it gives a unique experience to the person. That’s something they’ll remember,” he said.
Some members of the community might already remember YB though, thanks to a viral video that has been viewed more than three million times on TikTok, in which he visits the BDHS principal and various teachers to give them each a trim and make them look a cut above.
That fun video provides a glimpse into the connection YB feels to the school community, and he’s hoping to take on “a lot” of co-op students, in addition to planning for the shop to act as a private academy for barbers.
“You’ve got to open up the door, you’ve got to give people an opportunity, especially with a lot of teenagers here, they don’t have a lot of things to do,” he said.
While his family was originally from Israel, YB’s father visited Canada for work in 2010 and “he fell in love with the place,” moving the family to Thornhill in 2015 and to Bradford in 2016, but the Moniker YB wasn’t created until he started cutting hair.
Clients would call to ask for Yonatan, but had trouble remembering his name or describing his appearance.
“Look at my skin. You don’t think I’m brown, you don’t think I’m white, you don’t think I’m this, you don’t think I’m that,” he said. “They couldn’t remember my name for anything, so that’s how YB was born.”
The shop is open Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Walk-ins are welcome and for more information call 905-775-9063 or follow unitebarbershop on Instagram.
