From Russia to Lake Ronkonkoma

For three men who had journeyed thousands of miles for a better life, taking a two-hour round-trip from Queens to work six days a week is not a hardship at all. 

Cousins Ruben Yusupov and Alex Yosop and colleague Nick Yoso work at Ruben's Hair Styling in Lake Ronkonkoma. They realize what they do is a great way to earn a living in a country that gives them the freedom to pursue whatever they want.

"If you know what you're good at -- you're not going to be a millionaire -- you're definitely going to support a family," Ruben said. 

The barbershop is open seven days a week. 

"You have to be here a certain amount of hours to make money," Alex said. "That's how this business is." 

Each man works six days a week, ensuring a minimum of two barbers in the shop at all times, although there are days when all three are working at the shop, which is located in the Lakeshore Plaza next to the Ronkonkoma Post Office annex, at 304 Portion Road (the shop is open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.). 

The cousins say they are from Russia. They were born in the old Soviet Union in the area now known as the country of Uzbekistan. Nick hails from Moscow. All three men are Jewish.

Alex, 28, and Ruben are too young to remember much about the old country. Ruben, 27, said he came over with his parents when he was four-years-old for "a better life, more opportunity."

Nick, 50, who emigrated to the United States from Russia in 1993, certainly did as well as he elaborated on his fears living in the Soviet Union and Russia.

"I like the life and the freedom," he said of living in the United States. "If I go to a synagogue and pray, I can, not like in my [old] country."

For Nick, life in Russia was 'Don't go there. Don't do this.' If you go there, you get arrested," he said. 

Nick, his wife and three children live in Flushing Meadows.

Still, he returns to the old country every two or three years to visit friends and family.

Nick found out about an open chair in Ruben's while reading Druzhba, the largest Jewish magazine in Russia in the United States.

While he is the owner, Ruben said that he doesn't like to pull rank. "Everyone is family," he said. "Everyone is a boss."

Ruben once worked at a barbershop in Hicksville. He wanted to operate his own shop and found one advertised in a magazine.

"It's a younger generation," Ruben said. "We decided to take over a business that had been here for eight years. . . . A lot of people have recognized us as the years go by." 

The front window and walls of the shop are adorned with just about every male hair cut imaginable, whether you want something short, long or stylish.

"It's like McDonald's," Ruben said. "They want a No. 3 or a No. 1."

"If you can't do it, you're not a barber," Nick said.

And the customer gets what he or she wants. "If a kid wants a mushroom, we do a mushroom," Nick said.

The most popular cut these days? The skin fade, which is done very close to the head, and is especially popular during the summer.

"Everybody gets it now," Alex said. 

In the hair cutting business, good is not good enough. Word of mouth is everything.

"Every job we do has to be perfect," Ruben said. "These clients have come back to us. They will bring another customer."

"It's good advertising," Alex said.

The clientele ranges from businessmen to to the military to entrepreneurs to police officers to blue collar workers, from children to teenagers to the elderly and even women, who usually want their hair cut short. The shop also does coloring.

The customer talk ranges from women to sports to work to history or just about any other topic the customer wants to bring up.

"When you sit in a chair for 20 minutes, you can talk to have a good conversation," Ruben said.

On weekdays, Ruben, Alex and Nick will do from 20-25 haircuts a day. On Friday and Saturday, that total will rise to 35 to 45.

Like many places, the economy has affected business, although Ruben said he has kept prices reasonable. A regular haircut, for example, costs $12.

"A lot of people don't have jobs," Alex said. "Some people who came every month now come every other month."

Yet, Ruben wouldn't change anything for the world.

"For me, it's fun," he said. "I see my clients again. We talk. If you do the same job, you can do it with your eyes closed. Thank God we get paid."