How a community barbershop is handling the pandemic’s impacts

At the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Raymond Avenue, palm trees bookend the entrance to Off Da Top, a South Los Angeles barbershop where patrons are greeted by a sunshine yellow exterior and soft reggae music.

The neighborhood staple offers a taste of Caribbean culture, with barbers hailing from Jamaica, Belize and Guyana. Charles Harlow, Sir Charles for short, opened Off Da Top nearly 15 years ago.

Located in the Adams-Normandie neighborhood, Harlow considers its proximity to USC a bonus. He reminisces fondly about USC students coming in for cuts, particularly athletes on the football team and the track and field roster.

He’s also partnered with the USC Black Student Union to offer haircuts, shaves and community space for customers. Harlow emphasized his team’s expertise with naturally curly and textured hair.

“You can always come by, see my work. You don’t even have to get a haircut,” he laughed. “We’re artists. That’s what barbering is!”

Harlow works to curate patron experience by creating an environment where customers feel relaxed, cozy and comfortable.

“[Customers] get a haircut, they get good music, they get to laugh a lot,” he said.

Pre-pandemic, Off Da Top bustled. Now, the public health adjustments that have burdened thousands of small businesses have impacted Harlow, as well.

The economic fallout of the pandemic affected Harlow’s employees and patrons alike, prompting dramatic slashes in revenue, accessibility and affordability at Off Da Top. Regulars now come in monthly, some even every other month, instead of weekly, he said.

The once five-day work week at Off Da Top sank to three, and Harlow’s five-person team now comprises two barbers. Exposure risk and customer capacity concerns inside the shop also elicited a transition to appointment-only scheduling for a business that once thrived on walk-in customers.

A 2021 report from the House Committee on Small Business looked specifically at the effect of the pandemic on Black-owned businesses. The report found that Black-owned businesses experience institutional inequalities that stem from economic, political, real estate and supply chain systems. In one example, banks approved more than half of loan applications from small, white-owned businesses, while only 29% of Black-owned small businesses received loan approval.

Karen Gunn, a psychologist and South L.A. community organizer, said the pandemic spotlighted and intensified fundamental issues experienced by the Black community.

“There are always exceptions, [but] there is a lack of information, trust,” Gunn said. “So there’s a reasonable understanding that people didn’t want to step into the quagmire of institutions that haven’t treated them fairly.”

Gunn proudly labels South L.A. a vibrant and ethnically diverse population, where small, mom-and-pop businesses foster “a sense of home” for residents.

“They’re the lifeblood of the community,” Gunn said. “[They’re] owned by people who look like them.”

Off Da Top’s economic fallout prompted an application and an approval for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration to keep afloat. Others weren’t so lucky.

The 2021 Report on Firms Owned by People of Color analyzed these significant economic inequities throughout the pandemic and found that Black-owned businesses were half as likely to receive needed PPP funding compared to white owners.

Although non-essential businesses in Los Angeles reopened last June, Off Da Top is still recovering, but it has been thrown a few curveballs.

Despite vaccine mandates, masking and fewer patrons, personal care workers like Harlow remain vulnerable to the virus – there’s no such thing as a virtual barber.

“A lot of people are scared to come around,” Harlow said. “Some people got their own clippers, a lot of people are cutting their own hair.”

Local resident Bernard Gordon II has known Harlow for over 20 years. To Gordon, Harlow and his shop are integral to the community.

“He’s like a father figure to a lot of the folks in the neighborhood,” said Gordon.

As a father of five, like many other neighborhood families, Off Da Top is his go-to.

“It’s generational,” he said. “I love taking them there.”

Students and community members alike can support Off Da Top by spreading the word about Harlow’s business and promoting his 24-year-long barbering career.

“We’re losing the battle of Black-owned barbershops. You build something for so long. It’s uncertain,” he said. “Frustrating, of course, but you still gotta keep a smile on your face. I’m trying to keep afloat.”

Correction made Apr. 14, 9:15 a.m.: a previous version of this story incorrectly spelled Charles Harlow’s last name. It has since been corrected.