Today we’d like to introduce you to Tito Santiago.
Hi Tito, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My parents moved us to Orlando when I was two years old from New Jersey. I’ve lived here ever since. I went to college at UCF for history but dropped out because I’m a pretty lazy student. While at UCF I worked at Publix so after I dropped out I tried getting full time at Publix but they kept giving me the run around so I decided I needed a new career path.
When deciding on what to do I realized I wanted to work with my hands. I first tried getting an apprenticeship at a shoe cobbler but the guy I spoke to ghosted me. After that, I thought “well I really like getting my haircut, maybe being a barber would be cool.” A week later I signed up for barber school in West Orlando.
After being a barber for a few years I realized that I had a taste for traditional barbershops and was tired of the weird bro culture that infected a trade as old as time. To me, any walk of life should be able to receive an authentic barber service in an environment that’s welcoming.
I opened Eleanor’s Barber Shop May 5th, 2021. I named the shop after my daughter.
Katrina was the first barber that started working with me, we had a lot of mutual friends in the hardcore music scene.
Minor started working here in October. I met him years ago when he started getting haircuts by me. We started hanging out and I always joked about how I can’t wait for him to start barber school. A few years ago he asked to get lunch and he told me he wanted to start barber school and I immediately offered him an apprenticeship. He’s always been in my corner and has helped the shop before it ever opened so seeing him grow and become a great barber has been very satisfying.
I only strived to open a barbershop I would want to go to if I wasn’t a barber. It’s been great to see different walks of life come in and talk about how much they enjoy and appreciate the shop.
I hope 5 years from now there are still new faces coming in saying the small pink barbershop on mills is the place they’ve been looking for.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It’s been smoother than I thought. I feel like in the moment it can feel pretty daunting but in retrospect, it’s been fine. I’ve been lucky that Kat and Minor are easygoing and understanding that this is an entirely new venture that we’re all learning in.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
EBS is a barbershop through and through. We only offer standard services, haircuts, hot towel shaves and beard trims. I’m most proud of our charity work we’ve done so far. We believe the barbershop is a cornerstone piece that should be involved in its community. Too many shops claim to be about servicing the community but won’t do anything to give back. In less than a year we’ve raised money for The Center, Libby’s Legacy and Last Prisoner Project.
I think what makes us different is the environment we created. To me, it reflects my upbringing in Florida. The music choice, our uniforms and the decor are details I really took into consideration. To me, every piece is important to the overall “vibe.” I feel like nowadays people can easily tell if you’re faking it so authenticity is super important.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Barbering as a trade is thousands of years old, it for sure isn’t going anywhere.
The best modern invention for barbering was online booking, after working with shops with phones it’s nice having everything automated.
I see other barbers my age looking for a return to tradition, me being one of them. I think no matter what trends are coming the barbershop will be involved.
Pricing:
- Haircut $30
- Hot towel shave $30
- Beard trim $30
Contact Info:
- Email: Eleanorsbarbershop@gmail.com
- Website: eleanorsbarbershop.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/eleanorsbarbershop
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/eleanorsbarbershop
Image Credits
Michael Eliassen
