After shop closure, veteran barber finds new home by renting chair in nearby salon

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 Tuesday. He works from 8am to 5pm and cuts the hair of 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 for “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.

“We get along well. She trusts me by giving me the keys to the salon since I start work hours earlier,” he said. “It’s a two-way thing, as more customers walk in when they see the salon bustling from early morning.”

For Song, who has run her salon for more than 20 years, helping him was a natural decision after years as neighbours.

“His skill is so good, and he has many regular customers. It would be such a waste if he has to stop working,” said Song.

IT professional Andy Lim, 54, has been Yuzzrie’s customer for more than two decades.

He continues to make the trip monthly for his $12 haircut, even after moving from Sengkang to Tampines. He has to call to secure an appointment with his favourite barber.

“Coming to this salon is no different from the former barber shop as it is still in the same area,” said Lim. “I follow him because he knows my style.”

Song also offered two of Yuzzrie’s former colleagues a different arrangement in June 2025. Instead of paying a daily chair rental, they give her 40 per cent of their weekly earnings.

One of them is Maksum Hashim, 70, who starts work later in the day and stops at 8.30pm. He serves about six customers a day.

He opted against renting a chair as he has fewer regulars. “It’s my fault. I did not tell my customers where I have moved to,” he said.

He makes about $200 less monthly now but is happy with the arrangement as Song allows him to come in late after taking his medication in the mornings.

Renting out salon chairs is not new in the industry, according to salon owners and social media advertisements.

Fearless Image & Grooming on Race Course Road rents out a salon chair for $300 a week, excluding hair products.

Founder Muhammad Jaya Nudin, 37, introduced the chair rental scheme about six months ago in his one-year-old salon.

Several stylists have enquired, but there are no takers yet.

“It’s a win-win for both stylists and salon owners,” he said. “For me, it eases my overheads. For stylists, they don’t have to rent a whole physical space.”

The arrangement may not work for for all stylists, he added.

“Stylists need their own regular clientele, since they are essentially running their own business,” he said. “If not, they would rather depend on the salon’s customers and pay commission on them.”

Chin Soo Fang is senior correspondent at The Straits Times, covering a wide range of topics including community, politics, social issues, consumer, culture and heritage.