WPBF 25 NEWS. SIX. THE STORY OF A JUPITER COUPLE ON A MISSION ROOTED IN PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING. EVERY SUNDAY, THEY OPEN THEIR SALON AND BARBERSHOP TO FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN WHO HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS. REPORTER RACHEL PERRY INTRODUCES US TO ONE OF THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE MISSION, AND A FATHER WHO SAYS HE NEVER THOUGHT A SIMPLE HAIRCUT COULD FEEL THIS POSSIBLE. WHAT IF IT ALL STOPPED? HERE AT BARBERS EDGE ON SUNDAYS? SENSORY IS TOP OF MIND. HEY, BENNY, WHAT’S UP BUD? JOE ALFANO OWNS THE SHOP. SENSORY. THE VIBRATION IS VERY SEVERE FOR THEM. YOU KNOW, YOU KIND OF HEAR THINGS. FAMILIES TALKING ABOUT BEING REJECTED, GOING TO DIFFERENT BARBERSHOPS, EVEN SALONS, RESTAURANTS. SO IT KIND OF GOT TIRED OF IT. DON’T LEAVE ME HANGING, MAN. ALL RIGHT. YOU WANT A HANDSHAKE? HERE, I TAKE ON THE MOST CHALLENGING, YOU KNOW, CHILDREN THAT ARE ON THE SPECTRUM, NONVERBAL AND VERY, VERY ACTIVE. SO IT’S KIND OF DIFFICULT TO CUT THEIR HAIR. BENTLEY IS JUST ONE OF HIS CLIENTS. BENTLEY IS DIAGNOSED WHEN HE WAS TWO WITH WITH AUTISM. BEFORE WE FOUND JOE, WE WERE CUTTING HIS HAIR MOSTLY AT HOME. IT WAS KIND OF TRAUMATIC FOR HIM AND FOR US, I THINK, WHERE WE WOULD KIND OF JUST HAVE TO CORNER HIM IN THE BATHROOM AND GET HIS HAIRCUT. FOR BENTLEY, THE WORLD CAN BE LOUD AND SITTING STILL ISN’T EASY. HE’S CUT HIS HAIR AT THE CASH REGISTER. HE’S CUT HIS HAIR BACK IN THE ARCADE MACHINE. HE’S CUT HIS HAIR RIGHT HERE ON THE BENCH. SOMETIMES I’LL CATCH HIM HERE, BUT YEAH, HE’S HE’S HE’S ON THE MOVE TODAY. WHAT MAKES THIS EVEN MORE SPECIAL IS THESE HAIRCUTS ARE FREE. AND JOE TELLS ME, WHILE THE GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO HELP THE FAMILIES, HE’S FOUND, THESE SUNDAYS HAVE BEEN JUST AS REWARDING FOR HIM. GROWING UP, I WASN’T A NICE KID. I USED TO PICK ON PEOPLE, THIS AND THAT, BUT AS I GOT OLDER, YOU REALIZE IT WASN’T THE RIGHT THING TO DO. NOW I HAVE A LOT OF COMPASSION FOR THESE LITTLE GUYS. EVEN ON THE HARD DAYS, JOE SAYS IT’S WORTH IT. YOU KNOW, I TELL THE FAMILIES, I SAID, I KNOW YOUR CHILD’S A BIG RESPONSIBILITY. SO WHEN THEY COME HERE, THEY BECOME MY RESPONSIBILITY. AND I TRY NOT TO TAKE IT IN. BUT I WAIT UNTIL THE FAMILIES LEAVE, AND THEN I BREAK DOWN AND HAVE TO CLEAN UP BEFORE THEY, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT FAMILY COMES. BUT IT’S TOUGH. IN JUPITER, RACHEL PERRY, WPBF 25 NEWS. WHAT A GREAT THING HE’S DOING. SOFT HEARTED MAN. ABSOLUTELY. JOE’S WIFE OWNS SALTY CHIC SALON DOWN THE STREET WHERE THE SAME THING APPLIES ON SUNDAYS. SAYS THIS IS THEIR
On a quiet Sunday in Jupiter, Florida, the buzz of hair clippers fades into something rare — patience.Inside Barber’s Edge, families of children with special needs are finding a place where haircuts don’t come with judgment or pressure, but instead with understanding, patience, and care.Every Sunday, barber Joe Alfano and his wife, Jennifer Alfano, open their barbershop and nearby salon exclusively to children and adults with special needs, offering free haircuts designed around each child’s comfort. “You kind of hear things, families talking about being rejected, going to different barbershops or even salons, restaurants. So I kind of got tired of it,” Joe said.When he opened his shop, Barber’s Edge, Joe said he made it his mission for people with special needs to feel safe coming to him for a haircut.”All these guys here that work with me, they took it on as well. When we got people who come for haircuts who are on the spectrum during the week, none of these guys charge the families,” he said.Their doors are closed to the public on Sunday, and only Joe can be found working.”Sunday’s a little different. I take it on myself. I come here, I take on the most challenging children who are on the spectrum, nonverbal, and very, very active,” he told WPBF.Joe said it’s difficult to cut their hair, and sensory is a huge component.”You think you’re actually hurting them. You’re not, but the sensory, the vibration is very severe for them. A lot of families have to hold their children for me, and I do my part to hold them as well,” he said.It doesn’t matter how long the haircut takes or how challenging it might be; Joe said he adapts to whatever the client needs.Sometimes that means cutting their hair while they move around the shop.”I tell the families, I say, I know your child is a big responsibility, so when they come here, they become my responsibility,” he said.While his goal is always to help the families, Joe said Sundays have been just as rewarding for him.”Growing up, I wasn’t a nice kid. I used to pick on people, this and that. But as I got older, you realize it wasn’t the right thing to do. Now, I have a lot of compassion for these little guys,” he said.At first glance, Joe’s inked arms and tough demeanor don’t suggest a soft heart, yet when caring for these children, he doesn’t hold back tears.”I get worked up,” he said. “A lot of them cry, and then when they leave, I cry because it hurts. It hurts to see, but it’s not their fault. I try not to take it in, but I wait till the family leaves, and then I’ll break down and have to clean up before the next family comes, but it’s tough. It’s not easy.” Chris Doyle has been taking his son Bentley to Joe for roughly two years. He said Bentley was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old, and as he’s gotten older, they’ve struggled to find a place that could accommodate him.”Before we found Joe, we were cutting his hair mostly at home, and it was kind of traumatic for him and for us, I think. We would kind of just have to corner him in the bathroom and get his haircut. It wasn’t really very fun, and I don’t know how good a job we were really doing,” he said.They learned of Joe through Bentley’s school and have been coming to him ever since.”Up until recently, I probably got more stressed than him or Joe, just because I feel bad because Joe will follow him. He’ll cut his hair wherever because Bentley doesn’t like to always sit in the booth or in the chair. He’s cut his hair at the cash register, he’s cut his hair back at the arcade machine, he’s cut his hair right here on the bench. So, I think I just recently realized, sit back, Joe’s got it. I don’t need to worry about it,” Doyle said.Doyle said no matter how hard he tries to pay Joe, he won’t accept it.”After we’ve gotten to know him over the last few years, he feels like an extension of the family,” he said.Joe’s wife, Jennifer, owns a salon just around the corner, and quickly started offering the same service. The couple said it’s their small way of giving back.”Give us a shot here, and it’s a 100 percent success rate,” he said. “It’s like another check off the bucket list. You found somewhere to get your child’s haircut where usually they struggle, and this is the spot where they can come and just relax a little bit. You know, we’ll take care of it.”
On a quiet Sunday in Jupiter, Florida, the buzz of hair clippers fades into something rare — patience.
Inside Barber’s Edge, families of children with special needs are finding a place where haircuts don’t come with judgment or pressure, but instead with understanding, patience, and care.
Every Sunday, barber Joe Alfano and his wife, Jennifer Alfano, open their barbershop and nearby salon exclusively to children and adults with special needs, offering free haircuts designed around each child’s comfort.
“You kind of hear things, families talking about being rejected, going to different barbershops or even salons, restaurants. So I kind of got tired of it,” Joe said.
When he opened his shop, Barber’s Edge, Joe said he made it his mission for people with special needs to feel safe coming to him for a haircut.
“All these guys here that work with me, they took it on as well. When we got people who come for haircuts who are on the spectrum during the week, none of these guys charge the families,” he said.
Their doors are closed to the public on Sunday, and only Joe can be found working.
“Sunday’s a little different. I take it on myself. I come here, I take on the most challenging children who are on the spectrum, nonverbal, and very, very active,” he told WPBF.
Joe said it’s difficult to cut their hair, and sensory is a huge component.
“You think you’re actually hurting them. You’re not, but the sensory, the vibration is very severe for them. A lot of families have to hold their children for me, and I do my part to hold them as well,” he said.
It doesn’t matter how long the haircut takes or how challenging it might be; Joe said he adapts to whatever the client needs.
Sometimes that means cutting their hair while they move around the shop.
“I tell the families, I say, I know your child is a big responsibility, so when they come here, they become my responsibility,” he said.
While his goal is always to help the families, Joe said Sundays have been just as rewarding for him.
“Growing up, I wasn’t a nice kid. I used to pick on people, this and that. But as I got older, you realize it wasn’t the right thing to do. Now, I have a lot of compassion for these little guys,” he said.
At first glance, Joe’s inked arms and tough demeanor don’t suggest a soft heart, yet when caring for these children, he doesn’t hold back tears.
“I get worked up,” he said. “A lot of them cry, and then when they leave, I cry because it hurts. It hurts to see, but it’s not their fault. I try not to take it in, but I wait till the family leaves, and then I’ll break down and have to clean up before the next family comes, but it’s tough. It’s not easy.”
Chris Doyle has been taking his son Bentley to Joe for roughly two years. He said Bentley was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old, and as he’s gotten older, they’ve struggled to find a place that could accommodate him.
“Before we found Joe, we were cutting his hair mostly at home, and it was kind of traumatic for him and for us, I think. We would kind of just have to corner him in the bathroom and get his haircut. It wasn’t really very fun, and I don’t know how good a job we were really doing,” he said.
They learned of Joe through Bentley’s school and have been coming to him ever since.
“Up until recently, I probably got more stressed than him or Joe, just because I feel bad because Joe will follow him. He’ll cut his hair wherever because Bentley doesn’t like to always sit in the booth or in the chair. He’s cut his hair at the cash register, he’s cut his hair back at the arcade machine, he’s cut his hair right here on the bench. So, I think I just recently realized, sit back, Joe’s got it. I don’t need to worry about it,” Doyle said.
Doyle said no matter how hard he tries to pay Joe, he won’t accept it.
“After we’ve gotten to know him over the last few years, he feels like an extension of the family,” he said.
Joe’s wife, Jennifer, owns a salon just around the corner, and quickly started offering the same service. The couple said it’s their small way of giving back.
“Give us a shot here, and it’s a 100 percent success rate,” he said. “It’s like another check off the bucket list. You found somewhere to get your child’s haircut where usually they struggle, and this is the spot where they can come and just relax a little bit. You know, we’ll take care of it.”
