Along Madison Avenue in Covington near Holmes High School sits a barbershop that offers more to the community than just hair cuts.
Reginald England, owner of Hair on the Floor Barbershop, is determined to become a role model and a positive example to the youth that look to him for how to become a successful person and business owner. England has had to overcome a tremendous amount of adversity to become the upstanding citizen he is today. He was raised by his aunt once his parents left the household, until she became ill and ultimately passed way. Her sickness became a turning point towards trouble, poor grades, and eventually prison.
“I made good grades until my aunt got ill. When she got ill, I started to drift towards the other way. Where I got redirected was after my incarceration and her death. Once she died, I started getting focused,” England told The River City News.
After his incarceration, England needed a push in the right direction and found that from his neighborhood barber.
“I saw what type of relationship he had with the community, so it really helped me see what my vision was.” That vision led England to become a barber, too, and he has made it his mission to become a resource for the community by not only providing a safe place for those that need one, but also by leading events intended to strengthen neighborhood bonds between community members and the police.
“I wanted to do something that mattered to me and mattered to my clientele,” he said. “So basically I came up with the idea of flag football, community versus cops flag football. I grew up in Cincinnati where the police involvement was very heavy in our community where the cops really knew who we were, so I try and bring that to Covington. Basically, it’s hard for a kid to run from a cop if they know that cop’s name is John, and it’s hard for that cop to shoot that kid if he knows that kid’s name is Steve. I just want to put Covington relations back together, as far as everything that’s going on right now.
“This is the first event that I actually put together, so I’m open-minded to anything that comes my way. The sky is the limit with this event. I want a good turnout with a good purpose that people get the message, not just a flag football game.”
England hopes to have the game played on August 8 at the FOPA fields in Latonia. In addition to getting the Covington Police Department involved, he has also reached out to the Fire Department.
“We are partnering with Northern Kentucky University as far as letting us use their equipment, and we also have a urology group stepping in. The fire department has also talked about bringing an ambulance and fire truck for the kids. As a kid, it’s always the dream to get the little red fire hat, so it feels good to see a fire truck participating in a daily activity like that. I think the barbershop is one way to bring the community and the police, fire department and all the other city departments together. For me, the barbershop was the number one reason why I stayed out of so much trouble when I was growing up.”
Along the way, England has learned the hard life lessons as well as ways to become a better business owner. Hair on the Floor Barbershop just recently celebrated its second year at its current location which is something of a hallmark success for the storefront. England said that no business has ever survived there for longer than a year, and he is proud of the methods he’s learned as an entrepreneur to improve the experience of his customers that has made his operation a success.
“I had four different shops before I landed in this spot. I took a piece from all of my old shops and brought it with me. The place before this one was so small, that I knew my next one needed space. One shop didn’t have a television, so I made sure that I had entertainment here. One shop didn’t have anything for the kids to do, so I made sure I had toys in the corner. In another shop, females didn’t want to come in, so I created a spot in the back where the women feel comfortable coming in and out. When you come in, I want to have the fragrance of a clean barbershop, not what you might imagine a barbershop to be. I want to have the barbershop mentality, but a new era of business mind. I want you to feel like you can bring your grandmother in here.”
England feels it’s important to show young people who feel they have limited opportunities in life, a chance at success. He says that he is one of only a few black business owners under the age of 35 in Covington and prides himself among that select company. As a barber, he has cut the hair of numerous NFL players like Rey Maualuga, Adam Jones, and Taylor Mays. As a man, he has rewarded kids for achieving good grades by buying them new shoes for a report card that shows straight A’s. As a father, he has shown his own children how he provides for them.
“I beat the odds in so many ways. I don’t have a high-school diploma, I don’t have my GED. I basically overcame adversity through the willpower of not wanting to be in the same predicament. I have children. I made mistakes by having multiple children, but now, it feels good for my child to be able to ride past my shop and say that’s where my daddy works. Now they can say my daddy owns a barbershop and it feels good when they come in here and play, be able to go to the store and get pizza, things like that. My vision now is to be able to leave a legacy to the community, not just to my family, that we can beat the odds if you ask yourself how bad you want to beat those odds,” he said. “It’s tough in Covington because Covington doesn’t have too many role models. I feel like it’s my chance to really pull folks who can relate to me and say if he can do it, I can do it. They have seen me come from incarceration to house arrest to a business. I feel like it’s our time to really change our community around.”
Story & photos by Bryan Burke, associate editor