Today we’d like to introduce you to Sterling Fleming.
Hi Sterling, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As a kid from the projects, I grew up with my dad being my barber. As wild as it sounds, I never knew barbershops existed until my high school years. But yeah, my dad would use a garbage bag as a cape; He’d cut holes into the garbage bag so my arms and head wouldn’t be trapped inside the bag. My dad used to grip my temples to cut my hair. I called the Kung-Fu grip. I wish I could physically show you, but imagine your head being squeezed like juicing a lemon. It was painful. Fast forward to junior high, I discovered my uncle, Carl, gave a fancy cut like the rappers would get. I transitioned from sitting with my dad in a trash bag to my uncle lacing my head up. I walked into school for the first time feeling fly as ever; until a kid told me my head was messed up. I stopped going to Uncle Carl after that. I moved on to another family member. My new barber and inspiration was my cousin, Antwon a.k.a. Wege. He had more skill than I was accustomed to and provided a more detailed fade than my uncle. Wege was one of the first people to spark my interest in cutting hair. He was the slickest barber I had ever witnessed. He was the definition of Hip Hop; He loved cutting hair and it showed in his work. He did all the cuts like the rapper Big Daddy Kane and Kid ‘n Play. Cutting was more than a job for him; It was his art.
Wege was the best barber to me. He gave me one of the most memorable cuts which was my first Gumby-fade. For those that know about the Gumby, it originated from the cartoon, and it was the flyest haircut to me. He cut my hair for a long time until he decided to stop cutting. It wasn’t until then I was introduced to the Barbershop. Bridgeport, Connecticut was home to two shops in particular, “Good Looking” and “Headquarters”, and all walks of life visited these shops.
Another influence to me was a high school friend, Darnell Dalton aka D. One day D asked me the question that really started my journey as a barber. He said, “I know you can draw, but have you ever tried cutting hair?” Next thing I knew, I was cutting D’s hair. I was nervous but confident because I was an artist. It came to me naturally. From there I began to cut everywhere, literally. I started cutting family members in the kitchen, bathroom and basement; and my passion for cutting hair began to grow.
D recognized my hunger and asked a friend of his to let me work at his shop called “Three Dimensions”. From there my career as a barber snowballed. I worked overtime at Three Dimensions and for a short-time attended cosmetology school until I had an opportunity to move to Georgia so I quit school and moved south. Arriving in Georgia, it wasn’t all “peaches and cream” (get it, peaches and cream) “cash”. It was a struggle. The reality of pursuing my dream in Georgia was surviving homelessness as I had one week to stay with a friend. I was able to find a job at “Kingdom Cuts” owned by a guy named Mark Hamilton. Kingdom Cuts allowed me to hone in on my skill and take my barbering to the next level. I was motivated to go back to school at Samverly downtown Atlanta because needed a license to work in Marks’ barbershop. I began to regret my decision about moving to Georgia feeling that the timing wasn’t right. I moved back to Connecticut, finished my cosmetology course, and then finally moved back to Atlanta ready to be a barber.
When I returned to Georgia, I connected with Mark who had made some career changes for himself. He no longer had his shop but was working at a barbershop called “Amazing Cuts”. Barber-wise, the competition at Amazing Cuts was fierce. There were 13 barbers working there at the time so I had to bring my “A” game (get it, “A” game) which is what I did. Over a ten years span, I had built up so much clientele everyone was telling me I needed my own shop. When the owner decided to sell Amazing Cuts after being there for 13 years, I decided to take a leap of faith and get my own barbershop suite.
The first name I gave to my shop was “The Box Barbershop”, but it was short-lived and the name stuck for only two weeks. During that 2 weeks, I would play Fight Night on PS3. I always set it to the hardest difficulty level which was called “The Greatest of All Time” and that is how the current name came about. The GOAT Barbershop. For a year, The GOAT Barbershop was staffed with myself, a stylist named Jeiky, and one other barber. As the lease ran up, I had an opportunity to grow. In May around my Mother’s birthday, I was blessed to move into a 1500 sq ft suite and that was over seven years ago. I currently have seven guys that service the area with me. Since the establishment of The GOAT barbershop, I have been featured on Lifetime Network’s “Married at First Sight, Unmatchables”. I’ve had the opportunity to cut a few celebrities, cut all walks of life, and I am grateful for my journey.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being homeless was one of the challenges along the way.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Goat Barbershop. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
• I’m a master barber.
• I took continuing Ed thru Instagram from people with a big following.
• I was known for hair designs and bringing new trending haircuts to the barbershop.
• Landing an opportunity with a lifetime network.
• What set me apart is the love I have for my career and others.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
So out to: My parents:
Beverly Robinson (no longer here)
Carl Fleming
My uncle Carl my cuz Antwon (wege)
My friend (brother) Darnell Dalton
Mark Hamilton a.k.a Mr. Mark
And shout to the people on the list that didn’t make it. I love you just as much.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @lovecoversmyhands
- Facebook: The goat barbershop +1 (678) 324-8673
- Other: Here is the booking link: http://Tinyurl.com/thegoatbarber
Image Credits
Sterling fleming Dilon Soloman
