Says Barber Lloyd Alleyne

AS a young boy growing up in Albouystown, Lloyd Alleyne was more often than not glued to his television set. Politics intrigued him. He would often picture himself being on TV; revelling in the thought that perhaps someday, he might very well become an ‘important’ figure to be admired like the rest on television.

But as he grew older, he thought to himself that maybe nothing was wrong with picking up another trade along the way; and that sometime in the future, he might be able to return to his original dream.

It was not hard for Lloyd to decide which other trade to pursue. All his life, he’s seen his dad, Dexter Alleyne, do nothing else but barbering.
Born and raised at James and Campbell Streets, Albouystown, the now 27-year-old could not be more happy and content that he decided to learn the trade. He now has his own barbershop at Lot 116 Hunter Street, in Georgetown.

Growing up in Albouystown had its own challenges, but looking back, Lloyd said he always knew what he wanted. The distractions were plenty, but he went to school. He started at Selman Fraser Nursery School and then pressed on to Ketley Primary and Tutorial High Schools.

“Being a TV person, I wanted to know what it’s like watching yourself on TV and being that important person that everyone will be seeing… But I realised that not everything you dream of might come through” he told the Pepperpot Magazine.

Lloyd started cutting people’s hair in an informal manner; sometimes in their yard or in their homes, and hence became well-known for it. He didn’t actually help his dad to cut people’s hair in the barbershop, but he did help with other work around the shop.

QUALIFYING HIMSELF
Soon enough, he found that he too was developing a fondness for barbering. “I find it’s an easy trade once you get to like it and know it. I actually became a fan of hair cutting, so I went to schooling for it and got a Diploma. I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree because my dad is still barbering and now, I too, like barbering.”
Lloyd recalled that his dad would cut his hair as a child, and that of his brother. “I used to help around the shop to sweep up and so on. As I got older, though, I did other jobs that I could find.”

Lloyd said unknown to his father, he enrolled for an eight-week class at Kevin’s Reflections to learn to be a barber. “I went behind his back to get schooling for barbering. He didn’t know about it until I finished. I just wanted to surprise him and make him feel proud. He made a joke out of it and said I could’ve paid him to teach me.”
Lloyd’s father, who operates his barbershop just outside the ‘Six Head’ gym on Calendar Street, Albouystown already had another barber working with him at the time that Lloyd became interested.

Lloyd’s friend, though, Ryan Massiah was operating a barbershop at Camp and D’Urban Streets and encouraged him to start working at the shop. Incidentally, Ryan had no one working with him at the time and was in need.

He continued working at this barbershop for four years until he decided to open his own shop called “The Barber Shop and Grooming Kit.” The business also features a salon.
“I wanted to become my own businessman and since I have become self-employed, I find it very hard to go back to working with someone. The fact that I enjoy doing it so much now, the money doesn’t even matter sometimes, once I am able to help someone. Because of where I came from, I know people’s situations so I don’t mind helping,” he expressed.

BEING SMART
Lloyd said that he did not allow the distractions in his community to define who he would eventually turn out to be.

“It’s just about being smart. I even surprised myself that I came out of that knowing what I wanted. I was never arrested for any offences; the distractions were very strong. Peer pressure, drinking, smoking. At the age of nine, I could have gone to any street dance I wanted to. But I knew that was not what I wanted,” he related.

Having spent 21 years of his life in Albouystown, Lloyd is quite proud and happy about the decisions that he has made. “I am very confident about what I am doing and am willing to provide a very good service to my customers. It’s the passion of a young entrepreneur.”