SINGAPORE – Veteran barber Yuzzrie Adahar thought he had to hang up his shaver in 2025 when the shop he was employed at in Hougang Central closed.
The business owner gave up the unit following a steep increase in monthly rent from about $7,500 to $10,000 and later found a smaller space nearby, but it could not accommodate all eight barbers, said Yuzzrie, 61. The original unit at Block 806 is now occupied by a licensed moneylender.
Yuzzrie turned to Angel Song, who owns the manicure shop next to his former workplace.
The Beijing-born Singapore citizen also runs an eight-seater hair salon in neighbouring Block 805, and agreed to take him in.
Yuzzrie now pays $50 a day to rent a chair, resting on Tuesdays. He works from 8am to 5pm and serves about 12 customers daily.
He operates from a fixed chair, an arrangement he proposed to Song that is akin to having his own space within her salon.
The words “Botak Your Barber” are pasted on the mirror, alongside his business hours and phone number. He displays his own PayNow QR code, and outside Song’s H & A hair salon, a standing banner also advertises “H & A Malay Barber”.
Asked about his special arrangement, Yuzzrie said one must have “guts and confidence” to stay afloat. His take-home pay is now roughly what he earned before.
He and Song communicate in simple English, but language has not been a barrier to their working relationship.
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