MOUNDS VIEW, Minnesota — Nathan Sheferaw remembers getting a free haircut as a kid. The barber? Akeem Akway — the go-to barber for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"He was a great mentor. Great guy," Sheferaw said.
Sheferaw started working for Akway, sweeping and cleaning Akway's Sports Barbershop. Then when he was 16, he started a food delivery company with Akway as his business partner. Sheferaw then became a barber, cutting for the shop for three years.
When he was 21, he bought the shop in Mounds View.
"Funny fact, I was the youngest owner of a barbershop in the state of Minnesota," Sheferaw recalled.
Sheferaw bought the shop in 2020 and had to navigate being a young business owner during the pandemic.
"It's been a real life-changing moment for me when I took over the shop," Sheferaw said.
In January 2023, Sheferaw changed the name of the shop to Shifty's Premium Cuts. He's now getting ready for another big change.
About a year ago, the owner of the building notified Sheferaw that the space would be turned into a dental office.
Sheferaw used it as an opportunity to dream bigger.
He found a larger location, just down the road, from the current barbershop. The space, next to Aldi, had been vacant for eight years. Construction has been going on since the summer and they plan to hold a grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 9.
"Very excited. Been a very long time coming but very exciting journey," Sheferaw said.
Part of that journey includes paying it forward to the next generation.
At 25 years old, Sheferaw said he's the youngest licensed barber instructor in the state. He hopes to soon run the youngest-owned barber school in Minnesota.
Next door to the new location, construction is also underway on the school. Sheferaw hopes to be open by the summer.
"When people ask me what separates myself from other barbers, obviously I have a love for the craft of barbering but the idea of the entrepreneurship side of it — where I'd be able to change another kid's life like how my life was changed by my mentor — really intrigues me. That's something I look forward to," Sheferaw said.
He's already serving as a mentor to younger barbers, including 18-year-old Mustafa Samatar.
The young barber and influencer formed a relationship wtih Sheferaw after his clippers broke in school and he showed up at Shifty's.
"From there, he blessed me with his own clipper that he had and that really meant a lot to me. Ever since that day, he took my number down and just really lifted me up," Samatar.
He now works at the barbershop.
"Being around a lot of great barbers, it helps me a lot," Samatar said. "All these guys right here, great barbers. If it wasn't for them, who knows where I'd be."
Shifty's Premium Cuts will hold a grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 9 with free hair cuts from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
They will also host Flo's Food Truck and be giving away 30 free hoodies.
Shifty's Premium Cuts
2537 Mounds View Blvd.
Mounds View, Minn.
Know a local business we should feature for our Behind the Business segment? Email Heidi Wigdahl at hwigdahl@kare11.com.
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