Barbershops Teaching Cleveland Heights Kids To Love Books

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH —The Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library System are trying to bring books to young readers. To do that, staffers at the system are taking books to an unexpected place: barbershops.

“Every six weeks, I bring a variety of books to two of the barbershops on Noble Road for customers to read while they get their hair cut, or wait for a cut,” says Youth Services Associate Monica Wilson, who works at the Noble Branch of the library system.

The books are geared to young readers. Wilson said she got inspiration for bringing books to barbershops from a nonprofit in Harlem called Barbershop Books. That group's main mission is to boost literacy for African-American boys, between the ages of 4 and 8, by placing kid-friendly literature in barbershops.l

Wilson started talking to Patrick Freed, who runs Freestyles Barbershop on Noble Road. The shop is within walking distance of the Noble Road library and Freed was happy to collaborate with the library.

“I’m an educator, my license areas are in ELA [English Language Arts] and Social Studies, so reading is incredibly important to me,” says Freed, who also teaches at Lake Erie Preparatory School, a K-8 charter school in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood. “The minute Monica mentioned it to me, I knew it was a good idea. It’s right up my alley.”

Since the books have been brought into the shop, Freed says customers have been happily reading. He said they're "pleased with it. It gives them the opportunity to read something besides the magazines here, and the selection Monica brings is good — she makes sure we have the right books for our culture.”

“Most of what I bring is for youth — children and teens,” says Wilson in a statement. “But I also check out some adult books for the shop. Since they’re reading while waiting for a cut, I don’t bring over novels or anything with dense text. I bring over things that can be skimmed or read piecemeal based on time and interest. I also try to bring over nonfiction that is helpful for guiding teens toward their future and succeeding in the present. For the younger children, I bring over board books, picture books, and first-readers featuring diverse characters.”

“Kids are really attracted to the books,” says Freed, who says he often sees parents helping his young customers pick out books, adding that comic books are “a real draw for them. The little bitty kids are really drawn to the colors and the titles.”

Freed's Freestyles Barbershop isn't the only partner Wilson found for her program. She's also working with Premier Barber Lounge on Noble Road, which is run by Antonio Stewart.

Wilson also works with Antonio Stewart, who runs Premier Barber Lounge on Noble Road.

“What I like about having a library inside of my barbershop is that it gives children, adults, and even the barbers a chance to be entertained by something besides technology," Stewart said. "And the children always come back looking forward to finishing the book they read when they were in the shop last.”

Wilson believes a barbershop can be a 'third place' a location besides work or home that kids can go to feel safe and welcome, a place that encourages reading.

“It’s my hope that having a tiny rotating library in the barbershops is an extension of the ‘third place’ phenomenon,” says Wilson. “Sharing our books so people have a chance to read something outside of the context of work or school helps to present reading as a choice and not a chore.”

Photos from CHUH Libraries