GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Starz Barber and Beauty shop is a black-owned business just blocks from Lambeau Field that is coming out of the wake of coronavirus with more opportunities lined up: owner Chris Kimbrough is formally opening a second location this weekend.
Kimbrough founded Starz with his focus set on two things he thought Green Bay was missing: family and diversity.
"There's no other way to put it, because I've got a lot of love for everybody in here," barber Isaiah Turner said. "Even the clients that come in here -- treat all of them like family. We make them feel at home, and I just take pride in it."
"We like to do what we do and have fun with it," Kimbrough said. "And making sure our customers feel like family while we're here."
Kimbrough believes that diversity forges unity through the barbershop setting.
"When I first came to Green Bay, you didn't see a lot of white barbers in black establishments. You didn't see a lot of black barbers in black establishments. It was kind of split up," Kimbrough said. "But I wanted to bring them together because especially in a time like today, it's what we need to be together as one and stand up together as one."
"I love being a part of a black-owned barbershop because I feel like we bring a lot of joy and togetherness to the city and to the community," Turner said.
Staff says they're known for providing the best fades in town, but work to service anyone and everyone. Kimbrough says they have a lot of clients come in with their adopted kids that have different hair than they do, looking for help and education. He's driven to help, as well as be a role model for kids of all races to look up to.
To expand on that mentality, Kimbrough has started a free mentorship program at Starz' first location in Ashwaubenon where he teaches children life skills that he learned through mistakes and the nature of growing up.
"It's bigger than barbering," Kimbrough said. "We're the neighborhood big brothers. We're the neighborhood big sisters. We're the neighborhood counselors. The history of barbering that people don't know is that the barbers in your neighborhood were the pillar of the community."
Starz Barber and Tattoo Shop's grand opening party will be Saturday, August 22 at 6 p.m. at 739 Diane Street in Green Bay. Combining a tattoo shop with a barber shop has been a longtime dream for Kimbrough.
