Pedro Barillas, co-owns the studio with fellow barbers Ke Willis, Ace Almocera, Angele Latourelle, and his sister Aura Barillas. The team believes in equal ownership to show that the business is a community. “Giving everyone the opportunity to be free, to work for themselves and fight for their own dreams— that’s a better way,” says Pedro.
Each member of Sudbury Barber Studio plays different roles to make the shop a success, with Angele excelling at the business and numbers side, Ace being handy with tools and repairs, Ke bringing a sense of humour and innovative ideas, and Aura being a wealth of knowledge when it comes to difficult haircuts. Pedro creates content for the business’ social media and is their unofficial spokesperson. But one thing all of them have in common is being a great barber.
Pedro and Aura, who are from Venezuela, have a long family history in the barbering and haircutting trade. Their family has been in the industry since 1929, when their great-uncle Humbert started cutting hair. Pedro had already worked as a barber in Venezuela, Colombia and Peru before he moved to Canada three years ago. The two siblings have been cutting hair for fourteen years each.
Ace moved to Canada from the Philippines, while Ke and Angele are both Sudbury-born. Angele has worked as a barber for seven years, and before that, she was a hairdresser focusing on women’s cuts. The barbershop gets asked often if they do women’s cuts, and they do, but they recommend that customers book an appointment to ensure that a hairdresser will be there. Although walk-ins are accepted if they’ve had a no-show appointment or have an open slot, but generally appointments are encouraged and appreciated.
The crew at Sudbury Barber Studio steer clear of working with chemicals, so perms and colouring are not offered. Pedro says that it’s not their focus, as those treatments take hours. The barbershop keeps their appointments quick, easy and comfortable, which serves their busy customers well. “The core of our customers are shift workers, tradespeople,” says Pedro. “They just want to get their haircut and go home.”
Pedro and the rest of the team believe that they attract working-class customers because they can connect with each other. The barbers are passionate about the value of hard work and not taking the easy way out. Some days, Pedro works 10-hour shifts cutting hair and then puts a couple more hours into making video content for the business. “These people come to see us because they can relate,” he says. “We love our trade, we love our community and we work hard.”
After having run a business in Sudbury for nearly two years, the barbers feel strongly about giving back to the city. This past year the shop sponsored half a dozen local sports teams. Pedro says that they are particularly passionate about supporting youth-focused initiatives, to help bring up children with strong values.
“We love Canada because of the opportunity that it represents. We know that the only way that we can help to keep Canada as an awesome place to be is to invest in the new generations. With the places where we come from, there isn’t a lot of investment into youth.”
The whole team is grateful for the Reader Favourite award recognition, which shows them that their hard work is paying off. Pedro expresses what Sudbury as a community means to him, as a relative newcomer to the city. It has become his home.
“People who come into our chair bring us what Sudbury is, or wherever they come from, and it becomes a beautiful integration. Which makes our community strong.”
For more information or to book an appointment, visit here.
This article was sponsored by Sudbury Barber Studio, a 2024 Sudbury·com Reader Favourite.