Q: What hair services does this salon offer? 

Charles: We offer haircuts, blowouts, coloring, and anything in between! We mostly style asian hair.

Q: Did you design this space, and if so, can you describe what you had in mind?

Charles: I designed it, and I really wanted it to have a more modern and popular style. I wanted the trendy look.

Q: What specific brands or products do the barbers use?

Charles: We mostly use a Japanese brand that is called Milbon. For color, we use a brand called Wella.

Q: Do you have any famous clients?

Charles: We actually style a lot of Hong Kong movie stars. A lot of Asian movie stars come to New York to make shows, and we act as sponsors for many of them.

Q: What do you enjoy the most as the owner of this business?

Charles: I mostly enjoy styling, and training students.

Q: Do you have any plans for the future of the salon?

Charles: Yeah, I plan to open another location, maybe in Jersey City. We’re looking for the right spot, maybe after one year. We’ll also open a new service.

Q: How would you describe your approach to customer service?

Charles: Customer service is very important here. I try to make the space more comfortable for customers. I don’t like to have a small store—I prefer a big store where people can feel relaxed.

Q: What do you think your business brings to the Chinatown community?

Charles: I think Chinatown is the best place for the business because it is so big and welcoming.

Q: Why did you choose Chinatown as the place to open your salon?

Charles: My English is not very good, so I wanted to be in Chinatown, where many people also speak Chinese. It’s easier for communication.

Q: Can you tell us more about yourself? Where are you from, and how did you get into hairstyling?

Charles: I’m from Hong Kong. I started hairstyling as a student, and I trained many students. About ten years ago, I trained a lot of students here in New York.

Q: Were you always interested in hairstyling as a teenager?

Charles: It was very difficult to find young people to learn hairstyling. If you spoke English, you usually went to Midtown or other places. But in recent years, a lot of young people from China have come here to my salon to learn this skill.