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‘$25 per haircut, it’s a lot’: Riverside barbershop clips hair for free in back-to-school event

Riverside Barbershop owner Alexander Alvarado grew up poor. 

These days, he gives back to children who grew up like him by giving away school supplies, backpacks and free back-to-school haircuts.

“I like to do these kinds of things because when I was a kid, we were very, very poor. We couldn’t afford anything, and before social media, my mom knew where all the things were going to go down,” Alvarado said. “I remember all them days, man. And I always appreciated that I had shoes and I had school supplies because of events like this.”

Riverside Barbershop owner Alexander Alvarado lets people in for the free back-to-school haircuts event on Aug. 9. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)

The free back-to-school haircuts event Aug. 9 was the third Riverside Barbershop, 520 N. Riverside Drive, has offered since its opening. The barbershop provides free birthday, graduation and back-to-school haircuts, Alvarado said.

At the first two back-to-school haircuts event, the barbers conducted over 100 haircuts, Alvarado said. This go-round, children and their parents lined up nearly an hour before doors opened at 10 a.m.

“It’s our third year, and each year it gets bigger and bigger. And, yeah, we have more and more supporters each year,” Alvarado said.

One barber, Carmen Aurora, has been cutting for nearly two years at Riverside Barbershop. She likes giving back to the community, she said.

“Moms that have four or five kids at $25 per haircut, it’s a lot,” Aurora said.

Cristian ArguetaSoto is the community engagement journalist at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him by email or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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