A true pillar in the community!
Julius Warren Sr. opened Warren’s Barbershop in Baltimore in 1924, Black Enterprise reports. The senior Warren began cutting hair while working as a carpenter in South Carolina, The Baltimore Banner reports. Back then, he built barns and cut hair at night. After moving to Baltimore and quitting his job at the port, he picked up his clippers, opening the four-chair shop on Pennsylvania Ave. in the heart of the city at just 18 years old. When the family purchased a house in Howard County during the 1940s, he moved the shop to the city’s outskirts, becoming the first Black-owned barbershop in the area.
The barbershop has been in the Warren family for three generations and is currently owned by Julius Warren Jr., who began working in the family shop when he was only 13 years old. Known affectionately as Mr. Julius, he has run the shop and continued to grow it in the community, taking over for this father in 1981 and becoming a pillar in the community. Recently, the barbershop celebrated its hundredth year anniversary, with many community members speaking about the impact of the 86-year-old owner and the business on entrepreneurs in the city.
“Mr. Julius gave me my first start. He said, ‘Bring one of your family members in or a friend, and show me how you cut hair,” recalled David Clark, co-owner of Warren’s Barbershop.
Clark got his start in the shop, working eight years under Mr. Julius before expanding his imprint into real estate and other entrepreneurial endeavors. Now, he is a co-owner of the historic shop alongside his son, Julius Warren III. Clark said he returned to the shop to help preserve the legacy.
“One of the reasons I came back to barbering [was] in order to really keep the legacy going. The barbers come from the legacy of Warren’s Barbershop on Pennsylvania Avenue [in Baltimore,]” explained Clark.
Many have stopped by to celebrate the 100th year of Warren’s. Over the years, they have moved throughout Baltimore City and the surrounding region, now located in Owen Brown Village Center in East Columbia. Mr. Julius said it’s been a pleasure running such a staple in the community.
“Being a barber was one of the best businesses to have back then,” explained Mr. Julius.
Clark agrees with this sentiment. Throughout its century of business, it has built strong ties in the community, connecting with local politicians and operating regular community events that give back. It also continues to celebrate the Warren family legacy and Mr. Julius, who has recently been struggling with health issues. Clark and the family launched a GoFundMe to raise funds for the elder entrepreneur’s medical expenses, the least the community can do for someone who has done so much for them.
Clark says he has fond memories of all the esteemed guests who have visited the historic shop, and his goal is to help keep it running for another 100 years.
“You know, they call the barbershop the Black man’s country club. I mean, you name it, they came through Warren’s Barbershop,” said Clark.
Cover photo: Black-Owned Baltimore Barbershop Owner Celebrates Historic 100th-Year Anniversary/Julius Warren Jr., owner of Warren’s Barber Shop/Photo credit: Jessica Gallagher/The Baltimore Banner)