Today we’d like to introduce you to Salvatore Castaldi.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I been a barber for 26 years I started cutting hair when I was 15 years old in the Bronx New York in the little italy area in the Bronx . My mother was a hairdresser for 45 years in the business, mom had a beauty salon in the Bronx , so as I was growing up I was always in hanging out with my friends in the streets or in mom hair salon after school , but life wasn’t easy not for me grown up , while my dad was in Italy and mom was here I was always getting shipped out to Italy when I was acting up , growing up in Italian neighborhood in the Bronx , was crazy back in the early 90s, we had mobsters all over the place , mom now everyone in the area , all of the wives of these mobsters would do there hair with my mom at her salon , in the mean while I was hanging with there sons in the area and making coursing problems in the neighborhood. as I was growing up going to Lehman high school with all my friends , cutting class and you all the stupid nonsense that’s boys do , at the age of 13 I was cutting class and selling weed , with my friends , till one day mom tells me , son what the hell are you going to do with your life you always getting in trouble , mom tells me well I’m not going to bail you out of jail if you get caught, I didn’t care so I continue on . Doing stupid things , in the area with my friends, then one day one of my best friend dad Italian man , very well connected in the area very well respected, tells me Sal you wanna end up like your dad , we all now your dad the man was stand up man very well respected very well spoken and with a a lot on connection, but that’s life his not for you Sal , friends dad tell me , follow in your mothers footsteps, he tells me , hes says to me Sal , become a barber go to school and learn so you can run your own business one day it’s in your blood this beauty thing , I can see you being very successful in the future your a smart kid, friends dad telling me . from that day on something popped in my head like bell , from that day on I started going to hang out , up the block from mom salon there was a barber shop , called the Shop . my friends and I got our haircuts there all the time . great barber , I now the owner Rico was my barber at the time . So that’s when I ask him hey I wanna learn to cut hair and become a barber, the owner smiled and gave me the information of the barber school in New York City downtown called American Barber Institute I was 14 years old at the time mom needed to sign me up I was under 16 years old I need mom signer . So year later at 15 I went to barber school graduated a year later , at 16 got my GED early and started working at The shop with the owner Rico , that’s were I really learn the true skills and styles of the barber business, I was there with Rico for 4 years , in those for years working with Rico at the shop I had every one and everything in my neighborhood I had all the Italian come get hair cuts with me all my friends and there fathers and all these mobsters in the area was coming to me for hair cuts it was crazy , till one day . one of my dads friends connected guy tell me Sal I have a place for you 5 min away from here in the heart of the morris park area in little Italy in the Bronx , the guy owned a building and has stores for rent . So I opened my first barber shop at 20 years old in the morris park area in the Bronx . from there my career took off like a rocket. 15 years later sold the businesses cause I had more than one barbershop ended up moving to Pennsylvania and I wanted to do something different so I opened up a mobile barbershop something that no on would think of so I could work by myself and I enjoy working by myself very successful a lot of clients and I thank God every day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For me growing up in my neighborhood and working as a barber wasn’t easy for the simple fact that the people I was around they were all connected mobsters gangsters. Everybody want to be somebody important back in the 90s specially in New York in the Bronx so it wasn’t easy. It was a lot of competition with all the barbershops. You know it wasn’t easy owning five barbershops at that time especially the way I got them. I’m not gonna lie. It wasn’t all cutting hair. You know I was connected with a group of guys over the years and yeah, something big happened back then and I had to sell all my businesses and move out of town and then I got to this point ,
Moving to Pennsylvania and doing something different and opening up a mobile barbershop working by myself. I love it. I love it , me and the Client it’s nice and luxury convenient, relaxing.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I opened up the mobile barbershop at the end of 2023. It was an idea that God put in my heart. I always want to do something different but work by myself so I do a lot of corporate events, birthday parties weddings on the reservations of course other than that I rent out a location a parking spot where I parked my truck and all my customers that are on Booksy on Google they make appointments because I only work by appointments and they come and see me for haircuts. I have a personal relationship with all my customers respectfully and professionally, i’ll tell people in this business and other barbers that I worked with it over the years you gotta do what you love and go all the way with it and put your heart into everything you gotta love what you do. You gotta climb and maintain that’s the game of life . and be happy doing it
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Follow your heart and do what makes you happy and whatever career that you pick. Gotta push yourself to the limit. You can never be content with just one thing you gotta keep pushing gotta keep pushing hard in life to get to where you gotta get to and be happy while you’re doing it cause if you’re not happy what you do you’re not gonna be successful and always dream about the future. The future is bright when you have a goal when you have a plan, especially for Barber like me never give up never quit. You gotta make your dreams. Come true.
Pricing:
- Haircuts $40
- Haircuts with bread trim $45
- Kids haircut $35
- Haircut, beard, trim, hot towel shave and facial massage$100
- Shape up or edge up with bread $25
Contact Info:
- Website: The barber salcutz on google
- Other: . sal-cutz.booksy.com
