Jonathan Gonzalez has been cutting hair since the age of 14. In his family’s garage, Gonzalez would cut hair for his family and friends as a teen in his hometown of Orlando, Fla. Since moving to North Carolina, he acquired his barbering license and has worked his way up to owning one of the most popular shops in Washington.

It began when, as teens, Gonzalez and his friends went to a barber who would give his clients crooked edge-ups because he was talking on his cell phone while cutting hair. Gonzalez had a pair of clippers at home and offered his less-than-satisfied friends a chance to get “shaped-up,” he said.

“Everyone liked how I did that, and it led to me cutting hair,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez moved to North Carolina as a 20-year-old, but it would be seven years later when his wife would encourage him to attend barber school and follow his passion, he said. He enrolled at Altitude Academy of Barbering in Greenville for a year, earned his license and earned a booth at Ruff Kutz in downtown Washington where he worked for almost a year and a half, honing his skills and planning the day when he could open a shop of his own.

According to Gonzalez, barbers are required to apprentice for a year in a shop before they can take a test to get their master barbering license. Finding a prime spot to rent on 15^th Street in Washington, he opened the Razor’s Edge in February.

As for his trade, Gonzalez said the clients are the driving force behind strengthening his skills. He recognizes that every client is different — the shape of their heads, the texture of their hair and their desired look — and strives to send each one home with a smile. Though some barbershops specialize in cutting the hair of a particular race, Gonzalez says he welcomes clients of all racial backgrounds.

“Barbering is my passion,” Gonzalez said. “I love cutting hair. The customers are what really helped me. That’s how I’ve gotten to understand the science of cutting hair. The best feeling you can have is when someone comes in and they’re down and you give them a haircut, and they look in the mirror and they walk out of here feeling great. Knowing that feeling just makes me want to do it again the next day. I want every customer feeling like they spent their money well.”

Looking ahead, Gonzalez hopes to gain more barbers to add to his shop, as well as barbering memorabilia to its walls and an old barber chair or two, he said. Currently, he gives discount cuts to a group of handicapped men that visit from a group home, and next year, he hopes to be able to offer discounted prices for area students.

“I want to bring back old school barbering to the modern times,” Gonzalez said. “I just know haircuts make people feel good, and I like that feeling, and I want to continue that. I love Washington, I like living here, and I feel like I can give back (to the community).”

The Razor’s Edge Barber Shop is located at 156 W. 15^th St. in Washington.