[OrlFlaUsa]

Originally Posted by Tropical Countryboy

Let's start a thread if you want to continue this, OrlFlaUsa, but I just wanted to point out that is not the case. There's actually a good bit of business in Barbaring these days. A barber may not do coloring and chemical texture, etc., but the profit margins are higher on his or her services and he or she will have lower over all costs. It's a viable trade in many areas.

Fair points, but my only rebuttal so we don't hijack this thread is that women spend way more on hair services than guys ave there is more demand for cosmetologists.

The typical male cut is around 20 bucks so even if the profit margin is higher, the dollar amount of profit is not super high. One basically needs lots of volume to do well.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Florida2015

Hello,
My son is considering moving to Florida from New England. He is a master barber and instructor. He is looking for an accepting, friendly safe community. Ideally he would like a house as he isn't fond of apartment living. We are planning a road trip to Florida in July. Do you have any suggestions/tips?

Originally Posted by Florida2015

Hobbies-video games he is pretty quiet keeps to himself. He doesn't go out much, isn't into clubs.

He will most likely be renting at first. He wants to open his own place but knows he will have to work someplace for a couple of years to establish a client base, he does not have a job lined up yet. We live in the suburbs now. He likes the cities but has never lived in one. He is pretty naive when it comes to street smarts. As I said he likes his privacy but can't afford a lot.

Originally Posted by Florida2015

He does not know anyone down there. I am hoping he will partner up with someone older to establish his shop. He wants to move to Florida because he hates the cold in New England.

As a Florida native who is also a Gay Male, based on these criteria I don't think places like South Florida (Miami/Ft Lauderdale area) or Orlando would be good matches given their nightlife/club-oriented gay communities. Also speaking to his profession those places are pretty well saturated with others in his industry. I would recommend cities like St Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota or Bradenton which are friendlier, more affordable, have a sizable enough gay presence without the nightlife focus and minus the saturation in his profession...in particular should he choose to market to the gay community predominately which would be a wise marketing move in my opinion.

[8to32characters]

Originally Posted by Florida2015

He wants to move to Florida because he hates the cold in New England.

Well, if that's his primary motivation for moving, my best advice for you would be to save up enough money for the trip back to to Florida you'll have to eventually make to move him out of his place and back up to New England.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by Florida2015

Hello,
My son is considering moving to Florida from New England. He is a master barber and instructor. He is looking for an accepting, friendly safe community. Ideally he would like a house as he isn't fond of apartment living. We are planning a road trip to Florida in July. Do you have any suggestions/tips?

A few observations. Being gay isn't much of an issue these days in terms of being accepted in Florida (except perhaps in the most extreme rednecky parts of the state). Making a living doing many things in many parts of the state is. In your son's profession - the closer he can get to "money" - the better his odds of making a decent living doing what he does. Hair stuff is basically discretionary spending. And - the more money people have - the more they tend to spend on stuff like this. So I'd perhaps start looking in places like Palm Beach - Boca Raton - etc. first. Your son's success will depend on whether he's good at what he does - and whether he's attractive to his clientele both from a physical and other points of view (like how good is he chatting up clients - many wealthy women have gay male hairdressers - and they like those who have all the juicy gossip ). Exploring facilities in high end resorts probably isn't a bad idea in terms of exploring entry level jobs.

I would skip the JAX area 100%. I live in the area. It is very gay friendly for the most part. But it's hard (maybe impossible) to make a good living here in your son's profession.

And a tip. Your son is an adult now. I don't know if you're the mommy or the daddy - but let him explore Florida (or anywhere else) on his own. Stop being protective. He'll never come into his own - whatever that may wind up being - with parents hovering all around. Robyn

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

As a Florida native who is also a Gay Male, based on these criteria I don't think places like South Florida (Miami/Ft Lauderdale area) or Orlando would be good matches given their nightlife/club-oriented gay communities. Also speaking to his profession those places are pretty well saturated with others in his industry. I would recommend cities like St Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota or Bradenton which are friendlier, more affordable, have a sizable enough gay presence without the nightlife focus and minus the saturation in his profession...in particular should he choose to market to the gay community predominately which would be a wise marketing move in my opinion.

I disagree with you. Except for the parts of south Florida that basically require the ability to speak Spanish to get a job (like a lot of Miami).

If you're young and starting out - why not go for it? Hair person for the rich and famous? Or maybe just the rich not famous people who will pay big bucks for hair stuff and give good tips - especially if they're getting a decent hair job with a big dose of juicy gossip ?

I obviously don't know beans about this young man. But perhaps he's a hunk who has a good head (or can develop one) in terms of chatting up clients? And won't ruin his clients' hair (the last criterion is the least of things when it comes to people who deal with hair). We don't know who's going to becoming a star in the "hair world" or who's going to wind up in Supercuts. But - if you're really young - why not take your shot at the stars at least once?

FWIW - really expensive shaving stuff is all the rage today in terms of higher end consumers (I just bought my husband a super expensive tube of shaving cream for his birthday - I'm running out of ideas!). And shaving is part of what a barber does. There are some shaving chains and franchises and locally owned places - but I think it's a generally under-developed service area these days.

You're a younger gay guy. I'm an older straight woman. Are there are any cool gay barber shops anywhere in Florida? Where you can get a shave and a haircut (and perhaps other related services - mani/pedi - hair removal - etc.). Delivered by extremely competent good looking hunky guys? Who know all the gossip? Could be the 21st century equivalent of the old bath houses. Heck - if I were a gay guy - or maybe Bette Midler - I'd consider opening up a place like this myself . Robyn

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

I disagree with you. Except for the parts of south Florida that basically require the ability to speak Spanish to get a job (like a lot of Miami).

If you're young and starting out - why not go for it? Hair person for the rich and famous? Or maybe just the rich not famous people who will pay big bucks for hair stuff and give good tips - especially if they're getting a decent hair job with a big dose of juicy gossip ?

I obviously don't know beans about this young man. But perhaps he's a hunk who has a good head (or can develop one) in terms of chatting up clients? And won't ruin his clients' hair (the last criterion is the least of things when it comes to people who deal with hair). We don't know who's going to becoming a star in the "hair world" or who's going to wind up in Supercuts. But - if you're really young - why not take your shot at the stars at least once?

FWIW - really expensive shaving stuff is all the rage today in terms of higher end consumers (I just bought my husband a super expensive tube of shaving cream for his birthday - I'm running out of ideas!). And shaving is part of what a barber does. There are some shaving chains and franchises and locally owned places - but I think it's a generally under-developed service area these days.

You're a younger gay guy. I'm an older straight woman. Are there are any cool gay barber shops anywhere in Florida? Where you can get a shave and a haircut (and perhaps other related services - mani/pedi - hair removal - etc.). Delivered by extremely competent good looking hunky guys? Who know all the gossip? Could be the 21st century equivalent of the old bath houses. Heck - if I were a gay guy - or maybe Bette Midler - I'd consider opening up a place like this myself . Robyn

Yes, because no other stunningly handsome gay men who cut hair ever had that idea. I'm gay and grew up in South Florida so I have a pretty good handle on the topic. The area is flooded with guys like him.

[Ace_TX]

is your son a gay black barber or a gay white barber?

and would he be working in a barbershop or hair salon type of spot?

[rnc2mbfl]

After reading the OP, college towns like Gainesville and Tallahassee immediately came to my mind. They aren't nearly as warm as South Florida but they are also a far cry from New England.

[Florida2015]

He is mixed (black and white). He wants to work in a salon but specialize in men.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Yes, because no other stunningly handsome gay men who cut hair ever had that idea. I'm gay and grew up in South Florida so I have a pretty good handle on the topic. The area is flooded with guys like him.

I lived in south Florida for 20+ years but don't know the answer to this question. Is the market there for this kind of thing saturated with people with exceptional qualification? Or might there be some openings for people new to the area? Keeping in mind that young handsome people (regardless of sexual orientation) tend to age over time.

FWIW - I have the best gay hairdresser story ever from Miami. I used to get my hair cut at Burdines downtown in the 70's. And the guy working in the chair next to me was Kim Guggenheim. Flamboyantly gay (although not at all attractive IMO). He popped up later in the early 80's in Miami as the owner of an art gallery - pretending to be a relative of Peggy Guggenheim. I warned my friends away - but he wound up swindling a lot of people anyway (both artists he exhibited and buyers). So he fled - and then wound up a while later as - IIRC - the head of the Tampa Ballet (or similar in Tampa). Another big scandal ensued when it turned out he didn't have any connection with Peggy Guggenheim - and didn't know beans about ballet either.

It's possible to invent/reinvent one's self in south Florida. Whether or not you're "kosher". Robyn