We continue to highlight and celebrate women in this year’s Women’s History Month, and this issue we are highlighting one woman-owned business on Paradise Green – the American Barbershop.
Her name is Peggy, and she’s owned the American Barbershop in Paradise Green since 2014. After running (and still running) a successful business in Greenwich for 33 years, the first time she visited Stratford she loved it, and envisioned opening a barbershop in town. In my conversation with Peggy, she said what she loves about being a business owner is, “the connection I have with my clients, the community, and how much we impact each other. I appreciate each one of them. I have gotten to know so much about their lives over the years. At the end of the day, that is a great feeling for me!”
While Peggy does not call Stratford home, she is always at her shop, as any small business owner can tell you. But she is never alone, or lonely, between her flow of clients and her partner, Melly, her 1 year old Rottweiler. They welcome up to 100 clients each week. Thankfully, Peggy does all of the cutting, and Melly is her most reliable assistant.
With the landscape of the small business arena ever changing, the main challenge continues to be finding good help and finding the money to pay them adequately, especially with the rising costs of….everything.
Still, Peggy is one of over 20 barbers in Stratford alone, and yet she cuts between 75-100 clients a week. Since she works alone, when she can’t manage them all she sends them four doors down to the barbers at Branded. Peggy knows well the sacrifices small business owners must make—she’s made them herself. Peggy and her family emigrated to the United States from Greece when she was five years old. She’s been a small business owner for most of her life. “Being a business owner is a huge commitment,” she said. “I work a lot of hours including weekends. I sacrifice having a social life, and many times, being a part of family functions. It’s a huge sacrifice.”
Peggy shares that finding other barbers to invest both financially and professionally is difficult these days. In our time together she said that, “People get trained and may spend a year or two, and then leave. No one wants to stay.” She chooses to work alone because the time and energy (and money) it takes to bring someone up to speed and then they leave, for whatever reason, makes business ownership that much more challenging.
And yet, for a new business owner she offers this: “My advice to anyone wanting to start a small business but who is afraid would be to embrace that fear, because it’s not easy starting a small business. It’s time consuming and expensive, but don’t let that fear stop you from accomplishing your dream. Most people don’t see results until a year or two into their business, so be patient and keep showing up.”
If you’d like to get on Peggy’s schedule, check out her American Barbershop Facebook page, reach out, or walk on over to her shop to book with her. If she can’t give you a cut that day or week, she knows another local barber who just might be able to fit you in.
