The 10-block stretch of Brooklyn?s Flatbush Avenue from Empire Boulevard to Parkside Avenue is a ver...

1. At Dr. Cuts on Flatbush, Haircuts and Health Advice
The 10-block stretch of Brooklyn?s Flatbush Avenue from Empire Boulevard to Parkside Avenue is a
veritable mecca of beauty. There are multiple wig stores, with shelves of rainbow-colored styles and
human hair sold by the ounce; hair salons and braiding shops; several beauty supply outlets; and at
least one nail salon for every block.
But on weekends, the most vibrant storefront on this part of Flatbush is one that caters primarily to
men. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide a perfect view of the theater inside Dr. Cuts, where seven
barber chairs are constantly occupied, and where waiting clients line the front benches or lean
against the shop?s clean white walls.
At the center of the activity is Desmond Romeo, the owner of the shop. ?People knew in history that
the barbershop was the place to go if you got cut or injured,? Mr. Romeo, 38, said as he circled a
customer, razor in hand. ?They were the doctors of the community.?
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Barbers? public stature can be traced from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians to the Middle Ages,
when they were entrusted with surgery and dentistry. Dr. Cuts?s customers have the same kind of
loyalty as to a trusted doctor.
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More Than Just a Trim
More Than Just a Trim
Credit Yana Paskova for The New York Times
?I?ve been coming to him for 20 years,? said Neil Bird, 33, who is originally from Barbados.
He was there for a low cut with a fade, along with his 13-year-old son, who was getting a flattop. ?It
feels like family here,? Mr. Bird said.

3. The energetic Mr. Romeo, who is originally from Trinidad, has been a barber for two decades and
opened his own place 12 years ago. Each chair in the shop is its own domain, with a full-length
mirror and a locker containing the tools of the trade, though few personal decorations differentiate
the stations. Men and women of different ethnicities visit the shop, but at Dr. Cuts, as in the
neighborhood, there is a strong Caribbean presence.
Hope Suarez, 28, whose family is from Jamaica, had just gotten a Caesar with a taper from Mr.
Romeo, who has been cutting his hair since he was 7 or 8. Mr. Suarez comes back twice a month,
and not just for a trim. ?I trust them to talk about problems at home, with your girl or with work,? he
said.
Mr. Romeo, who wears his hair and goatee closely trimmed, is not only a talented barber and a good
listener, but also an informed one. For more than a decade, he has worked with the Arthur Ashe
Institute for Urban Health, which trains barbers about potential health problems, like prostate
cancer, diabetes, H.I.V. and hypertension. Brignel Camilien, director of the Arthur Ashe program,
Barbershop Talk With Brothers, described Mr. Romeo as ?committed.?
?He?s really been there to give input on how to improve the health of the people,? Mr. Camilien said.
Mr. Romeo, who also leads a new merchants association for this stretch of Flatbush Avenue, has
arranged for a holistic practitioner to come to Dr. Cuts on occasional Friday mornings to discuss
natural detox treatments with customers, many of whom come in after working night shifts.
The health discussions are but one facet of the shop?s appeal. With the wait for a chair as long as 45
minutes on weekends, customers? needs outside of hair care are also addressed. As Mr. Suarez
lingered after his trim, a group of elementary school children were kept busy by an action movie on
a television in the back, while a woman with homemade cookies and nuts for sale stopped in the
shop. ?There are a lot of barbershops,? Mr. Suarez said. ?This one is special.?

4. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/nyregion/at-dr-cuts-on-flatbush-haircuts-and-health-advice.html