- July 17, 2022
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Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 90F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..
A few clouds from time to time. Low around 70F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: July 17, 2022 @ 2:37 am
LUCI WELDON/The Warren Record
Warrenton Barber Demond Andrews continues a long tradition of friendly service and a welcoming atmosphere at Johnson’s Barbershop on Warrenton’s Front Street.
LUCI WELDON/The Warren Record
Warrenton Barber Demond Andrews continues a long tradition of friendly service and a welcoming atmosphere at Johnson’s Barbershop on Warrenton’s Front Street.
Some 80 years ago, Jasper Johnson, Sr. opened Johnson’s Barbershop on East Market Street in downtown Warrenton. The barbershop later moved to its current location on Front Street, where it has been a fixture in the community for most of its long history.
Local history accounts recognize Johnson as being the first African American barber in Warren County. An entrepreneur, he sketched the site plan for the Front Street building. John R. Hawkins High School Masonry teacher W.E. Exum and his students laid the brick for the building based upon Johnson’s blueprint.
For years, the resulting building housed three businesses: Johnson’s Barbershop, a beauty shop operated by Johnson’s wife, Ida, and a fish market. The three businesses thrived. Laughter and conversation filled them all.
Johnson’s three sons, Jasper Jr., Don and Bernard, joined their father as barbers at the family business. Jasper Sr. and Ida also had a daughter, Phyllis. Bernard cut hair at Johnson’s Barber Shop for some 60 years.
One of the barbershop’s clients in more recent years was Warren County native Demond Andrews. When he was growing up, a family member usually cut his hair, but, for special occasions, Andrews went to Johnson’s Barbershop. As he grew older, he realized that he wanted to become a barber.
The son of John and Catherine Andrews, Demond graduated from Warren County High School and Harris Barber College in Raleigh. He and his brother, Corey, began their barbering careers at Fresh Cutz Barbershop and worked together when Corey started his business, A Touch of Heaven Barber & Style Shop.
Around 11 years ago, Demond began working with Bernard Johnson at Johnson Barbershop. Demond recalled that Johnson described how similar he was to his uncle, Robert Lee Andrews, Johnson’s best friend, in that both genuinely loved people and meeting new people. From Johnson, Demond not only sharpened his hair cutting skills, but also learned how to run a business.
Today, it is Demond’s turn to continue the Johnson family tradition by operating Johnson’s Barbershop. He noted that if the family had given him the opportunity to change the name of the business, he would definitely keep the name of Johnson’s Barbershop.
“It’s like a museum to the community,” he said.
Opening the door of Johnson’s Barbershop is like stepping back in time for longtime customers. The business retains its original décor—the chairs in the waiting area, the barber’s chairs, cabinets and plants that have been there for decades. Holding a special place of honor on one wall is a mirror from the original barbershop on Market Street. Demond added a television, radio and fish tanks. The owners of Johnson’s Barbershop, Bernard Johnson and his wife, painted and remodeled the exterior of the shop. Otherwise, the barbershop remains pretty much the same.
Demond has built a client base of children, men and women of all ages. Johnson’s Barbershop offers haircuts, beard and mustache trims, scalp messages, facials, eyebrow arching, basic makeup application and more.
Demond specializes in working with children with special needs. He considers this ability to be a God-given gift that he takes seriously. Helping these children feel comfortable in the barbershop is why he brought in several fish tanks.
Demond’s client base includes multiple generations of the same families and people who move to the Warren County area from other states. A Washington, D.C. client who also has a home in the local community comes in every two weeks. The client who lives the furthest from Johnson’s Barbershop is a cousin from the New Jersey area who comes in once a month or every other month for a haircut.
For Demond, Johnson’s Barbershop provides an example of how important barbers and barbershops have been and continue to be to the community not only economically, but also in building relationships and inspiring others.
“We are not just a barbershop, but we play a huge role in the community,” he said. “I, being a Christian, have the ability to go out each day and inspire my world, my community for change. By providing godly advice, godly principles and family values, I’m able to inspire others to have a better outlook on life and the world.”
He said that the importance of barbershops in the local community should never be overlooked.
Demond and his wife, Lakola Andrews, reside in Norlina. They have four daughters, Katelyn, Dannielle, Morgan and Olivia.
Demond said that there have been opportunities outside Warren County. Friends that he grew up with ask why he returned to Warren County. For him, the answer is simple: he loves operating a business in his home county and hopes to inspire others to bring their skills and entrepreneurial dreams to the local area as well.
“This is great,” he said. “It is an awesome opportunity to inspire others to get their schooling and come back to their hometown and work, to give back to the community. I’m excited and glad that I chose to be an entrepreneur in this community.
Johnson’s Barbershop, located at 117 S. Front St., Warrenton, is open by appointment 5 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays, and 5 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Saturdays. To book an appointment, visit https://demondandrews.setmore.com/ or call/text 252-915-0641.
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