Levels Barbershop, known as a cultural institution in Harlem, is celebrating 30 years in business this summer. That’s three decades of heated debates on different topics, old school R&B music playing, sports playing on TV, vendors coming in to sell items, and community members stopping in to greet everyone in the shop, all staples of Black barbershop culture.
“It’s almost like a hub for the community, a place where people can actually go from different socio-economic backgrounds, and be comfortable, almost like a safe place,” said Co-founder Larry Wilson, 60, who has cut and styled hair in 125th Street barbershops since 1988. “Community can come together whether it is professionals or whether you’re from the housing projects or you’re from the street, and we can all mesh and get along and gel and share different opinions.” Wilson, along with Kamal Nuru and DeNorval Parks, opened the shop in 1996. Of the three, Wilson is the only one who continues to cut regularly and the only one remaining at the flagship location on 125th St.
His chair can be found on the far left of the shop, where he sometimes chimes in on the ongoing debates while in the middle of a cut. His station is surrounded by trinkets and items that are special to him, including family photos, a Knicks Eastern Conference Champions banner, and an award from the OG Barber Conference in 2024.
But in the space, you can also find Black art portraits, children’s books from Black authors, and various pamphlets providing community resources.
“We want to have information available to you, cultural things that some kids or even adults don’t have access to,” said Wilson, 60, noting that he is proud the shop has stood the test of time. ”We want to try to expose people to their history and their culture.
Early cuts
Raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Wilson spent much of his time as an athlete playing basketball and playing in tournaments across the city while attending John Dewey High School. But he says he was always drawn to artistry, whether it was drawing, dancing, or music, which is likely what connected him to cutting hair as a teenager, something he considers an art form.
“It’s an art form in a sense. So maybe that’s why I gravitated to it,” Wilson said. Around high school, he would line up his hairline and begin cutting hair for his brothers and in the neighborhood.
After attending Lincoln University, Wilson enrolled in Atlas Barber School, which had been in operation since the 1950’s. Once he received his license, Wilson soon began working at West Side Barbershop on 125th Street in 1988.
With a strong footprint and large clientele in Harlem, he anchored himself in the community. By 1996, he and Nuru had been working at Prestige Styling between Lenox and 5th Avenue when a former colleague who operated a shop at 425 W 125th St. offered the space to them to open up. Wilson, along with Nuru and his cousin Parks, then opened Levels within three to four months. A little later on, legendary Harlem barber Denny Moe joined the crew and stayed with them for 10 years.
They soon realized there were structural issues with the brick wall and realized repairs needed to be made. The men rolled up their sleeves and got to work, tearing down the drywall and applying polyurethane. Wilson says they were intentional about wanting a unique aesthetic for the shop, including hardwood floors to give it an old-school and rustic feel.
At one point, they had seven locations across the city. Today, there are four, two in Harlem and two in Brooklyn. But Wilson also says to look out for merchandise celebrating 30 years of Levels Barbershop. His team is also looking into real estate ventures, as he says they eventually want to own a building for the shop.
Old cuts, new fades
One of the special things Wilson says he receives is customers coming up to him sharing how important the shop was in their life and how they remember coming since they were just kids. Over the years, he recalls cutting customers, plus their sons and grandsons.
“I’ve seen maybe three, four generations of families that I’ve cut,” Wilson said. “It’s very rewarding and fulfilling to look back and see where we started and where we’ve come and just to still be around.”
Wilson notes he has seen the major changes in Harlem over the last 30 years, even within the shop, as he says it was primarily Black and Latino customers coming in to get their hair cut, but now he may have some of different ethnic backgrounds and different hair textures, noting he may cut more straight hair recently. He also highlights the changes on 125th St. specifically, with fewer “mom and pop” stores and more large corporate brands.
However, Wilson is proud of what Levels continues to represent as he says the Black barbershop remains an important space.
“From an institutional standpoint, (Levels) is [not just] an outlet; it’s many things for the community,” Wilson said. “There’s many different elements and layers with what we represent, or what we give, or what comes out of us being here in the community and being a Black business.”
