Key Takeaways: If you’re a barber looking to spread the love and support to your fellow barbering community and want to encourage others who are ready to be more intentional about the way they support black-owned barber businesses—especially when it comes to barbering—this blog is for you.

*This blog was last updated on 02/05/2025

Whether you’re a barber looking to spread the love and support to your fellow barbering community or you’re a consumer who’s ready to be more intentional about the way you support businesses—especially when it comes to barbering—this blog is for you.

Supporting and being loyal to black-owned barber businesses might be something you already do. If this is the case, that’s awesome news—but did you know that there are things you can do to support these black-owned shops better? 

In fact, sometimes supporting a shop is so much more than just giving them your business (although becoming a loyal customer at a barbershop is definitely an important way to support that business). 

Here’s the thing—there’s so much more you can do than simply becoming a patron of their shop. There are a lot of unique ways you can help the Black barbers in your community overcome the modern industry challenges that every barber is facing. 

This blog is dedicated to helping you see unique, impactful ways you can better support and celebrate black-owned barber businesses in your community.

How to Celebrate & Support the Black-Owned Barber Businesses in Your Community

Remember, these ideas below are just that—ideas. While they are a good start to a better future, there are so many more creative ways to better support and celebrate the black-owned barbershops in your community. So, think of the ideas here as a launching pad for even more thoughtful ways to support Black-owned barber businesses.

Do Your Research 

First things first, take stock of where you’re going for your barbering needs and do a little research. Are you actually supporting Black-owned barbershops with your current habits? If this is something that’s important to you, it’s time to do your research and find Black-owned barber businesses in your area that you want to support and celebrate. 

It’s easy to forget that a little research is necessary, but often it’s as easy as a quick Google search or meeting with the owner of the shop—something that we always recommend anyway.

Take a good, hard look at your current barbershop, as well as where you purchase your hair and skin care products, and ask yourself if they’re the right fit for the type of shop you want to support.

With all of the resources readily available to you today, it is easier than ever to find Black-owned barber businesses and shops that you want to support with your time, energy, and wallet.

Ask What They Need (& Deliver It)

You’re already doing the legwork to meet the owner of the shop that interests you, so when you do, be straight-up and direct. Ask what their goals are and what their vision for the shop is, and then take the time to understand what they need to succeed.

Transparency is always a good idea, and most people will appreciate it. Ask the owner or the shop’s employees what’s missing from their support system and what could help them reach the next level of success with their Black-owned barber business.

Is it social media followers? Is it access to marketing so they can branch out into more communities?

Every business has unique needs, and it is better to ask directly than it is to assume. This is also a great way to get the shop owners talking with you. They may be hesitant at first, but most likely open up and share their needs with you—especially when they realize you’re looking to become a loyal customer or partner that wants them to succeed.

Share the Shop With Your Community

Word-of-mouth marketing remains one of the most powerful tools barbershops have. If you want to be an agent of change within your community, sharing the shop with those you know is one of the best ways to make an impact.

Tell everyone about the shops you love. It’s that simple. By sharing your knowledge with other people who might not be aware of the Black-owned barber businesses in your area, you can create valuable awareness.

As you do so, you not only help strengthen the community’s knowledge of these shops but also open the door to referrals, which are key to the organic growth of any business.

Rep Their Merchandise, Logos, & Swag

If the shop you want to support has merchandise or swag with its logo or branding on it, wear it!

This is one of the best ways to signal support, and it also doubles as a marketing tool. While this type of advertising might be incredibly simple, it is also effective. Just getting a shop’s name out there can make a substantial difference in brand recognition, community awareness, and more.

When you truly believe in something, making it known through things like branded clothing is an easy way to signal that to others. In a way, it’s your seal of approval, and that type of public support can make a real difference.

Write and Share Reviews

Now more than ever, people rely on reviews to make decisions about who to trust, where to spend their money, and what businesses are the right fit for them. This means that your vocal support online and through legitimate review channels can have a profound impact.

Take to the internet to show your support for your local Black-owned barber businesses. Make sure you leave reviews and referrals on the major platforms while you’re at it. This provides much-deserved social credibility and proof, which will help others take the plunge and try a new shop.

These types of reviews can easily be turned into positive marketing strategies for shops, giving you efforts and words even further reach. In the age of social media and online reviews, taking the time to write and share meaningful feedback can truly benefit barbershops.

Engage With and Share Their Social Media Platforms 

Online reviews signal to other people that a certain business is worth their time and deserving of their money. It is a direct reflection of the business you’re talking about, making it a form of communication and word-of-mouth advertising between you and the person reading it.

Liking, commenting, sharing, and engaging with a shop’s social media platforms is has a similar effect in a different way. Just like writing and sharing reviews, engaging with social media pages is free, easy, and costs you almost no time at all.

This type of support might not feel like it’s doing much, but it’s raising awareness and can boost a shop’s reach. This allows them to gain legitimacy in the community, reach a broader audience, and build a strong digital presence, all of which are essential in today’s barbering landscape.

Become a Loyal Customer 

This one might sound simple, but it’s a tangible way to support the Black-owned barber businesses in your area. Find a shop that you love and want to support, and then do exactly that–support them with your business and dollars.

By making a Black-owned barber business your go-to barbershop, you provide them with consistent business and another loyal customer. You can even purchase the products you use for your hair, skin, face, and facial hair, which can help the retail side of their business thrive.

Recommend and Refer 

If you’re a barber in the area who either does not specialize in a service or simply knows that a Black-owned barber business could cater better to someone's needs, make sure you have a list of top-notch recommendations that you refer to when directing clients to other shops.

This principle doesn’t just apply to services you can’t provide. You can direct overflow customers to Black-owned barber businesses if you are booked up, refer customers who may be searching for a different vibe, or develop relationships with other shops for the sake of collaboration and mutual growth.

If you’re a barber, you’d like to make sure your business is profitable, so this particular way of supporting Black-owned barber businesses primarily applies to situations where you either don’t offer a particular service or you don’t have the capacity to take on more clients. Still, having healthy relationships and a solid list of other shops to refer people to is a great way to give your support.

We hope this blog helped you kickstart your journey to support Black-owned barber businesses! Let the ideas here guide you as you continue to celebrate and support the shops in your community, but don’t stop there. There are so many more, unique ways to be a resource, helping hand, and loyal customer to the barbershops you love—so, get creative and get involved!