As an SF barber, I come across a lot of different people daily. I learn from my clients and other people's clients daily. I engage in the barbershop chatter, indulge in the music, and join the laughter. The barbershop is where the community connects and builds bonds with each other while taking care of their image.

Almost three years after the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic, working at an SF Barbershop is one hell of an experience (Excuse my language). I work at Fresh Blades Barbershop at 1346 Polk Street in Downtown San Francisco, right Across from Peoples Barber & Shop. And just around that area, I have encountered some of the worst sights of poverty in San Francisco, Homeless People Pooping on the corner, and every drug known to mankind being smoked in broad daylight as if they are legal for consumption. But it’s not all bad. Polk Street in San Francisco is also a legendary strip in the heart of downtown SF that has some of the best bars, clubs, and restaurants in San Francisco.

Working at a SF Barber Shop there are some things that I had to get used to, the first thing that I adapted to was the smell of drugs being blown into the air on every sidewalk I step on, I advise people to wear masks not because of catching Covid-19 but to wear a mask to avoid inhaling crystal meth smoke. 

The second is human feces which is seen every 10 steps, the scary thing is that San Francisco is very good at cleaning the streets, workers are cleaning almost 24/7, but the problem is there are more homeless people pooping outside than there are employees. 

Third, if you are a barber taking public transportation, get used to sightings of meth being smoked on the trains and buses every day, but remember that they sleep on public transportation so you are sort of trespassing as far as the homeless people are concerned.

Lastly, even with all of the negatives, San Francisco is still a great place to be a barber. Cutting hair in the home of tech companies has its perks, as a barber in San Francisco, I have met some of the smartest people helping to build the next big company, Fortune 500 CEOs, and high-figure earners that leave good tips to barbers who provide high-quality haircuts and shaves. You get familiar with some of the homeless faces and may even find that they have a great sense of humor. San Francisco has some of the best celebrations on Polk Street such as the Halloween Pub Crawl, the St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl, and The Sweatercon Pub Crawl.

As a barber, working in an area where so much is happening at once, I prioritize keeping a structured routine, I bring a lunch to work, stay away from alcohol and drugs, and follow a set schedule to be the best barber possible for my clients. I have witnessed too often how barbers can be sucked into all the action going on around them and allow the city to impact their job. If you are thinking about being a barber in San Francisco, California or opening a SF Barbershop, just know it will be one hell of an experience.