WEST PARK, Ohio — A new school that is being dubbed a “cut above the rest” will soon open in Northeast Ohio.
A West Park area business owner and barber is expanding his reach and opening his first-ever Barber School.
It comes as trade programs boom nationwide and fewer people are opting to attend traditional four year colleges and universities.
The cosmetology and barber industry continues to surge in interest.
The new West Park Barber School is set to open in a few weeks.
The owner is eager to fill the need and train the next class of barbers and stylists.
"It's here. It's ready. I'm pumped," Patrick Loyal Burke, Owner and Founder of West Park Barber School, said.
The buzz is already building.
"It's a very tight knit community," Burke said.
In the heart of Cleveland's West Park neighborhood, you'll find a new school “that’s got style."
"We have a completely different kind of philosophy on what we're gonna do as far as training and how we're gonna prepare students," Burke said.
Burke sees potential in educating the next class of barbers.
"It's something I've actually always wanted to do. I've been kinda working towards this over the last ten years," Burke said.
The school will be located inside a sprawling space on Rocky River Drive in Kamm's Corners that was previously used as a dental lab.
"So a lot of the guts internally were already set for me as far as plumbing, electric, even air hose lines," Burke said.
Burke showed News 5 around the new school, which is outfitted for students and instructors.
The main clinical floor features 29 stations with brand-new styling chairs, sinks and sanitizing jars.
It's ready for upwards of 58 students who will complete their state required 1800 hours of coursework and training.
"Once you make it over to this floor you'll be perfecting services to the public," Burke said.
One room over—and still a work in progress, you'll find the demonstration room.
Students will receive hands on extensive training from instructors and guest industry professionals.
"Here will be a counter top. This area will be doing a lot of mannequin work, getting to really know our shears," Burke said.
Then, there's the classroom.
"We have this set up for the students equipped with 20 stations," Burke said.
The school is located a stone's throw away from Burke's flagship West Park Barber Shop and other neighboring businesses on Lorain Avenue, where stylists are actively cutting, coloring and drying clients.
"I wanna be a natural leader, so, I think it kind of put me in this position to be able to open up the school and kinda do more for the community," Burke said.
Cleveland native Ricardo "Rico" Rosa has worked at the West Park Barber Shop for the last five years—taking his craft to the next level under Burke's guidance.
"Working with Pat—he teaches a lot about cutting with shears, he teaches a lot of hands on stuff throughout the day," Rosa said.
He says the experience of working with the public and countless professional athletes has changed his life.
He thinks the new school has the ability to do the same for others.
"I think it will be more of a family environment rather than just pushing people out of the school. He wants to make sure you bring more of the barber culture," Rosa said.
With two decades of experience as a barber and a national educator for the Shear company Hattori Hanzo, Burke says the industry has taught him respect, ownership, and organization and given him a second chance at life.
He hopes to project those skills onto others.
"When I was younger, I was a little bit of a troublemaker. So, I feel like there's—I've come full circle in life that I can help a lot of people," Burke said.
The West Park Barber School guarantees job placement post-grad once you pass your state boards.
The program will take about a year to complete.
The West Park Barber School is beginning the enrollment process for future students right now.
It’s set to tentatively open in April.
For more information, click here.
Burke says that based on the early interest in this initial West Park Barber School location, he's considering opening more Barber Schools in the future.
