Hidden Gems: Meet Waverly Willis of Urban Kutz Barbershop

Today we’d like to introduce you to Waverly Willis. 

Hi Waverly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My mother Wardell Willis, may God rest her soul, was the single parent of 3 boys and one girl. She could not afford to take us to the barbershop so she cut our hair herself she did a terrible job. The kids in the neighborhood and at school would laugh, point fingers & make jokes about my haircut. One day when I was about 8 years old, she sat me down to do my monthly haircut and I can remember it as if it were last night’s nightmare. As she approached me with the clippers in her hand, I grabbed her wrist and asked her if I could please cut my own hair and she said “I don’t care who cuts it as long as it gets cut”. I began cutting my own hair, and guess what? I did a worse job than my mom. I got worse results at school, the kids laughed harder, pointed more fingers, and made more jokes. I kept cutting my own hair and I started getting the younger kids in the neighborhood from the same demographic as mine which was single-parent homes that could not afford a real Barber. I would cut the younger kids’ hair and their parents did not get mad because even though it was a crappy haircut it looked better than it did before I cut it. After a few years of self-haircut mutilation & several young, brave sacrifices. I started to get better. The kids in my neighborhood and at school that were laughing at me started discreetly pulling me to the side to ask me to cut their hair… At that point I was deeply in love with the are of cutting hair & finally had something that I was good at. Eventually, my mother’s basement was filled with neighborhood kids and kids from my school. My mom would peak in the basement periodically throughout the day to count the number of kids. I was charging 3 dollars per haircut & she would charge me 1 dollar per person for her electricity & venue rental. I guess I was getting a real-life business experience at a young age. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has not been an easy one. Unfortunately, I began using recreational alcohol and drugs & it escalated into a full-blown addiction for both to the point of severe homelessness. I do not mean couch surfing in friends and family homes. When I say homeless, I mean sleeping on the sidewalk grates that have steam coming up, begging for change, smoking cigarette butts of the ground homeless. I ate out the Kentucky fried chicken dumpster on 30th and Carnegie for years. This was my life until God delivered from that to owning 3 Urban Kutz Barbershops & being a Barber Instructor & Director of Outreach at the LaBarberia Institute of Hair, the largest & best barber college in the state 

We’ve been impressed with Urban Kutz Barbershop, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Urban Kutz Barbershop is 1 shop in 3 locations on the west side of Cleveland. We opened our doors in May of 2008. Cleveland received us with open arms from the day we opened. Urban Kutz was founded on 3 key pillars called P.M.A Professionalism, Multiculturalism, and Availability. These three attributes combined put us in a space of our own in the barber industry. 

PROFESSIONALISM– You will get a great service, in a timely fashion, in a fun family-friendly atmosphere. 

MULTICULTURALISM–We boast that our staff and client base is represented by various ethnicities, races, cultures, and lifestyles. 

AVAILABILITY– All of our locations are open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Before you ask, yes, we are there Thanksgiving, yes, we are there Christmas, yes, we are there on the 4th of July. 

YES, WE ARE THERE 

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memories are my friends and I in my basement listening to music and cutting hair. 

Pricing:

• Haircuts are between 25 & 40 dollars

Contact Info:

• Email: urbankutzcleveland@gmail.com
• Website: UrbanKutzBarbershop.com
• Instagram: @UrbanKutzBarbershop
• Facebook: @UrbanKutzBarbershop
• Twitter: @Urbankutz
• Youtube: Urban Kutz Barbershop
• Yelp: Urban Kutz Barbershop
• Other: Tik tok Urban Kutz Barbershop