Anthony Pierce-Rodriguez in front of his mobile barbershop
There’s just something about a fresh haircut that makes you feel “totally different,” explained Harrisburg-resident Anthony Pierce-Rodriguez, who has been a barber for 42 years.
However, he recognizes that a trip to the barber isn’t something that everyone can afford.
Starting this week, Pierce-Rodriguez will offer a solution. Members of the community, adults and youth, can hop aboard his mobile barbershop for a free haircut and a conversation.
He plans to travel around the city in his barbershop on wheels, Street Art Innovative Design—the same name as his former barbershop in Uptown Harrisburg. Each week, he will park in different locations.
For Pierce-Rodriguez, the haircuts serve as a way to build relationships and to share his story to hopefully inspire members of the community.
“A barbershop is like a home away from home,” he said. “People open up about things.”
Inside the mobile barbershop
From the age of 13 years old until 2011, Pierce-Rodriguez was in and out of prison, was involved with illegal drug dealing and faced addiction himself. These days, those experiences are the driving force behind his passion to help the community, especially youth, avoid the mistakes that he made.
“I want to be a father figure to them and give them a better path,” he said. “I want to make sure the youth don’t follow the same steps. It’s about breaking the cycle.”
He hopes to have those conversations and build relationships through providing free haircuts. But for Pierce-Rodriguez, it’s also bigger than that.
Through his organization, Actions of Change Foundation, he plans to partner with other local nonprofits to tell his story and work to better his community.
“I’m going to put in the footwork,” he said. “I’m not just about talking about something without doing it. I want the community to become a village again.”
Pierce-Rodriguez has plans to grow his organization, but for now, he’s focused on welcoming people into his barber chair where he can give haircuts and encouragement. He sees himself also serving as a resource to be able to point people in need of specific services in the right direction.
“The knowledge I learned from making my mistakes, I’m going to give that to people,” he said. “There’s always a solution and way to be a better person.”
Pierce-Rodriguez’s mobile barbershop will be open on Thursdays through Saturdays from around 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at locations around Harrisburg. This week, he will be parked on the 300-block of Peffer Street in Uptown Harrisburg.
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