Matthew Burnette, Staff Writer

When Wendy Cornejo opened the Urban Clipper barber shop in April of this year, she wanted to find a way to give back to the community that’s been welcoming to her for two decades.

On Halloween of this year, she offered free haircuts to any child that came to the shop dressed in costume, and now for Thanksgiving, she is offering free cuts to anyone in the community who wants to stop by from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“I have been in this community for 20 years, and all the people are so friendly and so nice,” said Cornejo. “I’m so grateful for the community, and this is a way to support the community.”

Cornejo graduated from cosmetology school five years ago but first became interested in working with hair by watching her older sisters when she was younger and seeing the reactions of the customers and how it made them feel better.

She decided to open the Urban Clipper as another option for Manchester.

“I like to do the haircuts and everything for the beauty, but also, I see other barber shops that are too busy, and the customers have to wait hours, so I decided to open this place too,” she explained. “It’s really nice when the customer comes in and gets the haircut done at a pretty affordable price and then leaves with a smile.”

The Urban Clipper offers men’s and women’s haircuts by appointment or walk in in addition to services like coloring and waxing. While everyone is welcome at the shop, Cornejo says that the reactions from the children that come in are the most important thing.

“Most of the children are afraid to go to the barber shop, and they call this the ‘Golden Chairs Barber Shop,’” she noted. “It’s a good experience for them. When they try this barber shop, they say ‘I’m not going to go anywhere else because they treat me good and do what I ask them for.’”

The “Golden Chairs” is a reference to a distinguishing feature of the Urban Clipper: the bright gold trim around their barber chairs.

Cornejo explained that the extravagant looking seats can cause some people to be skeptical about coming in, especially some of the seniors in the community.

“They see the place, and they think it looks fancy, and they don’t know if they can afford it,” she said. “Then when they walk in and they are treated the right way, and then they leave with a smile and become a recurring customer. That’s really nice.”

The Thanksgiving event which Cornejo says she hopes customers understand that there might be a slight wait at is not only designed to give back, but to introduce the shop to people who haven’t been there yet.

“Everybody’s welcome to come. A lot of people like to come and look at the place,” she explained. “Everybody’s saying really good things about us, and I want to invite them to come and enjoy the experience. It’s pretty good.”