Otis Tyson, 62 has been a barber for over 45 years. Growing up in Havana, Cuba, he used to watch his grandfather cut hair and says that’s where his connection and passion for the the profession grew.

But this charismatic barber didn’t start out in the business, he was an accountant first and went to Law School at NYU for a semester before dropping out and working in sales.  He sold commercial furniture and traveled nationally before he realized his passion remained at a barber shop and cutting hair invigorated him like nothing else.

He calls the barbershop a place for camaraderie among the men who work there and the clients they serve.  He likes that he can make up his own hours and in essence be his own boss.

On a typical day you can find Tyson working 12 hour shifts and tending to over a dozen loyal clients who have followed him to the very shop he is in now. Building a clientele base only comes with time he says and trust is something that needs to be earned. And over the span of four decades, his barber’s chair has become a place for therapeutic sessions for the many men who come to him not only for a haircut  but also guidance.