Precision haircuts come naturally to this young bilingual business owner, who opened up a barber shop two years ago in Wichita’s north end.
Since then, Alfred Urbina has worked diligently to ensure the business lives up to its name: 4 The People Barber Lounge.
According to Urbina, the barber lounge was born out of being involved in the community.
“We’re always doing a bunch of community events, giving back. That’s pretty much what we stand for,” Urbina said. “So, we stand for the people.”
Urbina took part in back-to-school events, free haircuts for the kids and partnering with the YMCA for its Livestrong campaign.
“We do a lot of sponsorships, just try to do our part and help out,” he said.
Urbina, 24, decided to become a barber in his teens. Although he was born in Texas, he eventually moved to Wichita and graduated from West High School. Afterward, he went to barber school.
Growing up, his very first clients were his siblings.
“I was the oldest out of four at the time so [with] my three little brothers, I just practiced and practiced (laughs), but they didn’t really have a choice,” he said. “We really couldn’t afford to go to a barber shop, so I just used my mom’s clippers and I just went cutting away.”
As Urbina began cutting, he witnessed the transformational power of a good haircut.
“I just fell in love with what comes after making people feel good about themselves and the fact that people look for me for the services I offer individually,” he said. “It just makes me feel good about myself, too. I like the environment. I like the freedom it comes with. I like the discipline it comes with.”
There are nine barbers employed at the lounge and almost all are bilingual.
“Yeah, everybody’s pretty tight, man, we’re pretty involved.
“Most of the shop speaks Spanish and English,” Urbina said. “We are on the north side of Wichita, so we do serve a lot of Hispanic people. But thankfully, we’re very diverse. We’re in a really good spot of Wichita, and our name is very strong. So, we get a really diverse type of clientele.”
Dylan Schlote frequents the barber lounge every two weeks. He says he always gets a great haircut from Urbina.
“I always get a consistent haircut and that’s something that I definitely look for in a barber,” Schlote said. “I don’t like to get a different haircut every time, I like to keep it the same.
“I know all the barbers here as well as Alfred, and it’s really a nice atmosphere, keeps me coming back for sure.”
Urbina mentions a client who expressed his joy about a haircut he received right before his nuptials.
“To this day, he shows me his wedding pictures, and he’s just so happy about them,” Urbina said. “He’s like, ‘Bro, look! This because of you,’ and that means a lot, you know? Because he comes weekly, and he just makes me feel appreciated, and I try to show that appreciation back.”
As co-owner of 4 The People Barber Lounge, Urbina keeps up with the business side.
“You know, just learning as we go, big financial decisions, trying to absorb everything, absorb your people’s energy,” he said. “Obviously, we got barbers working with us. We got to absorb their opinions, their perspectives. And that’s pretty exciting too.
“Just learning new things about yourself, like just putting yourself in that boss mentality, like, ‘Oh man, I got to do this.’”
He said the most challenging part is not trying to compare yourself with others.
“ Just [remind] yourself that this is a learning process. You’re still learning as you go,” he said. “At times, you might feel overwhelmed, but you got to keep in mind that you got here somehow, and whatever you’ve been doing has been working, so just keep on doing it.”
Urbina credits his mentor Louise Moreno who helped him get started.
“I met him during high school. He was the first barber I went to. He really helped me out a lot,” Urbina said. “He gave me my first barber chair. He would let me shadow. He let me hang out around the shop, and he eventually opened up All-City Barber Shop here on 21st and Amidon, and I got a chance to work beside him for a couple years.
“He joined the Air Force, and I saw the opportunity, and we just bought the shop, and now we own it.”
Now Urbina sees kids like himself coming in.
“I try my best to be that person that I need at that time, and serve, give a little bit of tips and advice that I needed at that time, just like, my barber did to me.”
Some clients ask for a special touch from Urbina and his hair designs.
“We love designs, man. We love it when people let us be creative, and that’s why we’re doing it,” he said.
“So, when people ask me for designs, we love it. I love it. I don’t even charge extra for designs. I just do them.”
So, along with haircuts, facials and razor shaves, 4 The People Barber Lounge plans to continue its connection with people.
“We’re looking to partner with [the] Kansas Hispanic Education and Development Foundation. Give a little bit more … guidance to our young Hispanic people,” Urbina said. “We’re also partnering up with a nonprofit organization this summer, Salud + Bienestar, so we’re also looking forward to that.
“We got a busy schedule ahead of us, but that’s the exciting part. We’re always trying to give back.”
