Longtime Bushwick barber becomes mentor to generations
Inside the Bushwick barbershop, conversation flows as easily as the clippers. You might find yourself talking shop with Francisco James, though everyone here calls him Troy.
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It is a place where customers come for advice, a shape-up and often leave with a mentor.
Inside the Bushwick barbershop, conversation flows as easily as the clippers. You might find yourself talking shop with Francisco James, though everyone here calls him Troy.
A barber for more than two decades, Troy is known for his meticulous approach and personal connection with clients. “You’re getting full force, if you notice,” he said. Longtime customer Alex, who has been coming to the shop for three years, added, “You can learn how to cut your hair, but it’s not going to be a Troy haircut.”
If his accent did not give it away, Troy is Jamaican American. He moved to New York in 1991, renting a barber shop booth for nearly a decade. By coming in early and staying late, he eventually opened his own shop in Bushwick.
His journey began much earlier. At 13, a friend got hold of a pair of clippers. “He had some machines and started cutting my hair, then asked me to cut his,” Troy said. “We started doing each other’s hair every week just to stay fresh for school.”
Decades later, Troy says patience is key. “Put time into the haircut so it can come out properly,” he said. “I never rush someone’s haircut.” That attention to detail has customers booking appointments months in advance, including wedding parties and clients who travel long distances just to sit in his chair.
He has cut hair for generations of families, often seeing clients before weddings, graduations and other milestone moments.
Over the years, customers became family — a family that pushed him to keep going.
At home, Troy is also a father. He says his daughter has already begun learning how to do hair. “She’ll probably work in here one day,” he said, “but she has to take it serious.”
As for passing down the torch, Troy says retirement is at least a decade away. When that time comes, whoever takes his place will inherit a long and respected legacy.
