When Natalia López went to her parents’ village in the north Spain, She packed up the necessities: scissors, comb and scissors.
When the Zaragoza hairdresser wandered the streets of Huesa del Común, a small remote village with 69 residents, her skills were in great demand. “I comb my mother’s hair and cut my father’s hair. There are always neighbors who say:’Since you are here, can you also cut my hair? Or modify my color?'”
Inspired by the hustle and bustle of the countryside hairdresserLast year, López and her husband Eneko Abad, also a hairdresser, launched a touring service to make up for the lack of hair salons in Spanish villages.this Barber car Since then, it has grown to include three mobile salons spanning the northern region of Aragon, providing tailoring, washing and color processing services for approximately 70 cities.
“We just want to go to places where there is no such service,” Abad said. “We are not here to take away anyone’s work.”
Their modus operandi is simple: after coordinating with local officials or local contacts every month, the hairdresser shows up with a trailer equipped with chairs, mirrors and sinks. Residents are invited to make an appointment on the day, and the hairdresser stays on site until they pass the day’s list.
According to Abad, the price is “very affordable” and is in line with the charging standards of salons in the region, because the management costs of operating mobile services are relatively small compared to traditional hair salons.
Approximately 80% of their clients are senior citizens. It is difficult for them to go to salons in nearby cities, and they are forced to rely on relatives to do DIY trimming or amateur styling. “A lady told us that she hadn’t been to the barber shop in 15 years,” Abad said.
The arrival of the barber car city -Many of them do not have bars, restaurants or more than one shop-usually regarded as a pleasant thing. López said: “For residents, going to the barbershop is a good time to gather and chat with other neighbors on the street or in the square, and it looks good.”
Mobile hair salons are one of a growing number of suppliers-from fishmongers to bakers-to trade Spanish countryside, Trying to fill in by Slow and steady population decline and destruction.
“In almost all the villages we visited, they told us that there were only three barbers 30 years ago, or there used to be one barber and one hairdresser,” Lopez said. “But as time goes by and the population decreases, the income of hairdressers is not enough to keep the door open.”
The couple hope to obtain the franchise and expand it to hundreds of villages in Spain without hair salons. “The problem-and a major problem-is that we did not find enough people willing to work with us,” Abad said.
Some people are hesitant to drive thousands of kilometers on a regular basis, while others still believe that more profits can be made in the city. A few people may be delayed due to the physical limitations of providing a full set of salon services (from perm to hair removal) in a 10-square-meter trailer.
Abad quickly listed the benefits. “It’s funny: you are in a different place every day. It’s not monotonous at all.”
Customers are very grateful and sometimes drop freshly picked tomatoes from their garden or invite them to lunch. Then there are the deep connections they make as they roam from one village to another.
“Before we left, people asked when we would come back,” Lopez said. “This tells you everything.”
