Seventy-four years make up the total years of combined experience that the Irvin brothers have been tightening up fades, arching eyebrows and entertaining customers on “The Yard”.
Roland (SU Class of ‘71), Robert (SU Class of ’73) and Donald have been part of the Southern University community for 36 years and are still going strong.
The trio gets 50% of their business from off campus. Most of the time, it is from alumni who keep coming back. According to Robert, when the school is out of session, they still do reasonably well financially.
The barbershop has been visited by such notables of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jesse Jackson, and Joe Frazier, just to name a few.
The biggest reward for the three is watching freshmen come in and watching them leave as graduates. Robert compares the collegiate journey of a freshman to his or her graduation to chopping at a tree.
“I keep telling them that if they keep chopping at that tree…it will eventually fall.”
“I make my living here because it pays well,” said Robert. “There are good fringe benefits also.”
But the best benefit of all, is being on “The Yard”.
