San Antonio – A San Antonio man is hoping his passion to bring professionalism and respect to the barbering industry inspires other aspiring barbers to be the best they can be.
That man, Tim Torres, opened his barber college called Cut and Shave Barber College.
“Too often, growing up, your mom could actually take you into a barbershop,” Torres said. “Nowadays, women feel uncomfortable walking in there because there are things that men may be saying or must that they may be listening to. They just don’t offer services like they once used to do.”
He said the whole reason he created the name was to put the old-school feel back into barbering.
“We actually respect the straight razor shave,” Torres said. “It is a lost art.”
Day in and day out, Torres teaches others about the art of barbering.
“Students come in class in the morning or afternoon and learn about the practical work,” Torres said. “We start them off at the basics and by the time they are closer to the 1,500 hours of what they have to achieve, they start the detail, shear, clipper and design work.”
He said he is inspired seeing so many people learn through his college.
“It is beautiful seeing people have this second chance,” Torres said. “Barbering is a second chance industry. Some people are not fortunate like me to just jump in it at such a young age and do it but other people are not as fortunate to jump in barbering when they need to, so it is a complete satisfaction seeing people go through the process of becoming a barber.”
Torres said he thrives on creating a family-like atmosphere at Cut and Shave Barber College.
“These aren’t just my students that I am going to see for just four to 10 hours a day, and then they go home, and there is no contact with them afterward, and I don’t care about them. We build a relationship. It is impossible not to know them as family after spending so much time with them where we deal with different kinds of characters.”
He said having those different personalities makes the job worth it for him.
“Everybody is free to be themselves here,” Torres said. “We just want people to come in and discover their true potential. The only way they are going to do that is by being themselves and not try to shape themselves to what others want them to be but just become what they need to be.”
As a barber and as the owner, Torres said he knew he had to become a mentor to others.
“I have been a barber for eight years now,” Torres said. “I have seen enough and have a lot of life stories and lessons I have learned in the barber industry that I can be able to be that mentor, that role model I need to be for these upcoming barbers.”
His passion for barbering began as a child.
“So, I was 12-years-old when I actually picked up a pair of clippers to cut my hair,” Torres said. “My mom couldn’t afford to pay for a barber every week as we needed, so I taught myself along with learning from YouTube. I actually started sketching side profiles of faces and doing designs and doing haircuts.”
Torres said he became a licensed barber when he turned 21.
“I would have been content, growing up, cutting hair behind a chair for the rest of my life,” Torres said.
Sadly, Torres’s dreams of starting his barber college hit an obstacle when he was faced with a serious medical issue. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in Jan. 2019.
“It almost stopped me, but I kept fighting,” Torres said. “It really rocked me on the inside though, but I never let it come out. I had to have a positive outlook on life and trust in God to do a miracle within me because if I hadn’t trusted in God, I don’t know where I would have been.”
He said he was most afraid for his family.
“I was scared to death because I could potentially leave my daughters,” Torres said. “My little daughter at the time was only 2-year- old and I thought that I was probably going to die.”
Torres said that thought alone lit a fire under him.
“That is kind of what let me see the bigger picture of life,” Torres said. “My life is more valuable than me just being behind a chair. I can share all this knowledge and all of the passion that I have with everybody else. That is kind of what really forced me and pushed me into my destiny.”
Torres’s tumor miraculously dissolved within three months, allowing him to proceed with his dreams of opening his barber college in Oct. 2019.
“The Bible said, ‘the faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains,’” Torres said. “Well, I had this huge mountain in my brain that would have required a serious surgery but yet, it was a simple pill that dissolved it. There is no other explanation other than God is real.”
Now, Torres said he hopes his faith in God, love for barbering, and passion to mentor will one day expand his barber college for the betterment of the community.
“The impact that they are going to have on others is going to be way bigger than any amount of dollar that they can have because, not only are we barbers, but we are mentors to everybody,” Torres said. “A lot of the times, this is always just a dream or considered as a hobby, but it doesn’t have to be that anymore. It is a profession and what we are trying to do is put the pro back into barbering.”
If you know someone like Torres who is making a difference in the South Texas community or who has a unique story, send us your tips. Contact Japhanie Gray on Facebook or @JGrayKSAT on Twitter. You can also send your tips to KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Facebook.
