With Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia: Jamir Rahim Nortey;Accra’s barber of choice
Agege’s Top Ten Barber Shop on the Accra-Kumasi road has become a venerable Accra institution.
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Men drop in not only for a haircut and a shave but also to socialise. There’s a lot of banter about pretty much everything, although sports and politics tend to dominate.
For nearly 30 years, founder and executive barber Jamir Rahim Nortey (popularly known as Agege) has led the way in style when it comes to men’s hair, beards and moustaches.
But he never planned to become a barber. Agege would have liked to have gone to school and to have pursued a career in the military.
Barbering hair was initially merely a hobby he engaged in for family and neighbours.
A turning point in his hobby came when his cousin Farouk needed money to buy a bicycle that would enable him to commute easily to Accra for his apprenticeship in mechanics.
The cousins considered their options and decided that barbering was the entrepreneurial solution to the problem. Jamir was the barber, the older Farouk his ‘apprentice’ as he had to learn the ropes.
The pair walked barefoot to work under trees, having to close ‘shop’ as soon as it got dark because they didn’t have electricity.
But business was good. Agege recounts times when he was too busy to eat – having to work from morning till sundown without a bite.
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The cousins, then still in their teens, made enough to open their first shop in 1988. Decades later, after booms and busts, they look back with contentment and little regret, mindful of their humble beginnings.
“School was far away from us,” Agege says, pointing out that their parents were poor and unable to put them through school. They lived a hard life, and had to cut their own path.
They haven’t done too badly, being successful enough to make a decent living supporting their families and putting their own children through school. (Agege’s first son has just graduated from university).
Unique preposition
Their world of work differs greatly from what it was when they started. These days, in every street corner it’s easy to find a barber’s. But that won’t influence people who have sat in Agege’s chair – because they keep going back to him.
He has customers who drive from as far as Tema to have haircuts and a significant number have been having their hair cut at Top Ten for years. Those who do not fancy the trip use his VIP Home Call service through which Agege or one of his barbers goes to the customer’s home or office.
Agege and his cousin are still riding high on the superior customer experience that has brought them this far. It’s taken different forms at different periods and these days it includes wireless internet connection, DSTV and air conditioning.
But a permanent fixture has been the convivial atmosphere that you are assured of at Top Ten. You don’t just get a haircut; you get a chance to escape from some of your worries. Agege has always been savvy at relating to people across the generations - he’s almost the bridge between them.
The nature of the trade may have a hand in that – you have to be in tune with current trends if your job is to make people look good.
The current power crisis has had its toll, however, as it has had on most small businesses in the country. They have tried most of the alternatives on offer – switching between an inverter and solar system recently.
But the costs have been high, and the devices disappointing in their longevity. Add to that, customers would readily cut back on the ‘looking good’ part of their budgets, reducing the trips they make to the barber’s, as they also feel the pinch.
Family bond
Despite their current troubles, they are hopeful the business will return to winning ways. They break their backs to make their customers happy despite the losses they incur so they can keep them when times eventually get better.
They speak of a future where they as retirees can hand over the business to their children who would manage it – the shop, and the franchise. They are in the trial phase of a franchising model, and soon you may get a feel of a Top Ten haircut near you.
The cousins say that the family bond has kept the business going at certain difficult times. Agege explains: “Oh! Yes, we have disagreements occasionally. But even when it is nasty, one of us still stays in the shop to take care of business. If we were not family, how would that happen?”
A devout Muslim, Agege gives gratitude to Allah because he is able to put food on the table and to provide for his family.
After spending time with Agege, one comes away feeling the contentment and pride of the cousins in looking back at what a teenage hobby ended up as – a satisfying business that has transformed their lives and those of their families. — GB
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