The first ever black-owned barbershop college has been opened in Toledo, Ohio. The college, known as T.O.L. Barber College, opened its doors to aspiring entrepreneurs in the haircare industry in March 2023.
The facility, owned by Antwan Turner, who says his barbering college is more than just a place to learn about hair, sits on South Byrne Road in the GlenByrne strip mall. This is an extraordinary feat for the barber, who has been cutting hair since his early teen years.
What is more, Turner wants to use his college to inspire his students to lead a path to a better life, and adds that he is working to ensure that his business provides the needed opportunity for anyone who walks through his door.
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“Not only is this a college–a school of barbering–but, in the barber world, we talk about everything. So, this school is geared towards that too,” Turner told WTOL.
He currently has 16 students enrolled in school, and notes that a significant majority of the students did not know exactly what they were doing, however, as they kept showing up for training, and learning from professionally licensed barbers, their skills improved.
“I just want to try and help out as much as I can and give off the knowledge. I don’t want to hold anything from nobody and if you wanna know, then I’m gonna teach,” Turner said.
Turner also hopes that his institution can provide an outlet for positive change and lead to better community engagement following a recent string of gun violence involving youth in the city of Toledo.
“If they want to help themselves, or they’re tired of the riff-raff that they’re going through, they can come on out of it and come talk to me. We can get you enrolled,” Turner said. “The knowledge I’m giving and resources I’m giving are worth more than money.”
