Before Weldon was offered his apprenticeship at JD’s, he helped out around the shop to fulfil his work experience requirement for VCC. On his first day, he was asked to clean the drain from the shop sink. Now, anybody that has ever cleaned their own shower has experienced the quagmire of hair and product that can get stuck in a drain. We like to keep JD’s extra tidy, but when you’ve got over a hundred people coming through the doors everyday … The occasional clog is a reality. Weldon dived into that drain and the drain dived right back at him. As he was clearing out leftover hair, shampoo, and water, a fateful splash shot out from the sink and straight into his mouth. The fact that Weldon finished cleaning that sink, came back the next day, and has been coming back for almost two years now says a lot about him. And that’s leaving out the time we made him dress up as Doc Brown and run around serving guests tequila all day.
Since the days of sweeping floors and clearing out sinks, Weldon has proved himself as a consistent, entertaining and incredibly friendly member of the barber staff. With the help of brave friends and some Craigslist ads, he worked through beginner jitters and improved his style and technique with each cut. Now his favourites are short scissor cuts, mid-fades and hot shaves. He claims he doesn’t get enough requests for scissor cuts either, so if you’re looking to step away from the traditional fade, you’d probably make his day by asking for one. As for hot shaves, it’s the male equivalent of hitting the spa. Forget Sweeney Todd’s cutthroat razors and start imagining Shangri-La and saunas. There’s real bliss in getting that stubble cleared away, and having your face swaddled in a warm towel. Weldon admits he practiced that particular skill by shaving his own legs. We imagine him planning a lovely night in, shaving his legs with a glass of wine and scrolling through his favourite Instagram account, @sadsingledinners. But hey, whatever works, Weldon.
If you come into the Gastown location on a day that Weldon’s got music privileges, you’re likely to hear everything from Iron Maiden to Migos. But if you’re really lucky, the legendary playlist ‘Soft Rap, Hard Rappers’ might be bumping. There’s nothing quite like a haircut while being serenaded by a slow paced DMX song. For Weldon, that’s just one more thing he loves about working at JD’s. That everybody can come together over a playlist like that, or chat and joke with clients and other barbers as they work. That friendly vibe goes beyond the door and soaks into the Gastown surroundings; the district has become a strong community full of interesting characters and spots to eat and drink. When he’s not working in the barbershop, he’s partaking in that community by playing skeeball at the Metropolitan and enjoying two dollar beers.
We would recommend getting him to cut your hair or clean your sink any day. And be sure to ask him about his teenage red-and-black anime hairstyle, he really loves talking about that.
