Black Voices: What it's like for a Black businessman in Utah during the pandemic

Editor's note: This story is part of KSL.com's "Black Voices" series where we share black Utahns' stories about what life is like for them in the Beehive State.

TAYLORSVILLE — The conversations change quickly.

With a bellowing laugh, Darren Herder gives one client dating advice. He then turns and offers his thoughts on the current coronavirus crisis. And, of course, he wants to talk about the sports news of the day.

"Did you see the headline on ESPN this morning?" Herder asks. "'Does Donovan Mitchell have to leave Utah to win a title?' Hmmm…"

That’s the typical scene inside A Philly-Aided Barbers in Taylorsville. You know the barbershops you see in movies: full of laughing friends, a community of regulars, and playful banter? That’s exactly what it’s like to be in the Herder-owned shop.

"I wanted people to come in here like, 'Yes, I get to go to my haircut. I'm gonna go chill for an hour and just laugh and be entertained, be involved in a good conversation and learn something,'" Herder said. "You can meet anyone in here from a police officer to a judge to a lawyer to a doctor, NFL athletes, NBA athletes."

Utah Jazz guard Rayjon Tucker stops by to get his braids done. Former Utah linebacker Gionni Paul frequents the shop when he’s in town. Even the Salt Lake Bees have had Herder’s crew come down to Smith’s Ballpark to do cuts for the team.

Herder, as his shop’s name implies (not too mention the decor), is from Philadelphia. He followed a friend to Utah soon after he graduated high school and never left. He saw it as a growing state filled with positivity, hope and lots of opportunities to grow. He’s taken advantage of that.

But that Philadelphia upbringing has shaped the shop’s personality. From the way the shop looks (every wall and corner is littered with Philadelphia sports memorabilia) to the barbers' camaraderie with one another and their clients, it’s an authentic East Coast barbershop in the heart of Salt Lake Valley.

The shop has been open for two years now, and nearly every review is a five-star rating from patrons — a sign that people not only enjoy the vibe of the place, but that the barbers know how to cut hair, too.

After more than a few years in Utah, Herder is used to the shocked looks at this point. The looks of some people after seeing they have booked an appointment with a Black man (those mostly come from "old-timers," as Herder affectionately calls them — and they often turn into regulars). The looks when people find out he owns and runs his own business. The looks when people found out he was enrolled at Weber State as a pre-med student not to play basketball.

"What is so shocking about that?" Herder said. "Where I come from, there's plenty of Black doctors and lawyers, Black teachers and principals. People sometimes don’t understand how discriminatory that sounds."

Herder mostly laughs it off. And, for him, that’s pretty easy to do, especially since he thinks Utahns are so inherently kind that even if they have some naive discriminatory views, they are often quick to change them.

So, he has fun with it.

"I just bought a new house in West Valley," Herder begins telling a story while giving a trim, the laughter slowly building up in his voice. He describes his new neighborhood and then is cut off ...

"Oh, it’s white a neighborhood," fellow barber Izaiah Rodriguez says.

"Oh yeah," Herder continues, laughter building up in his voice. "My cop friend came over and I had to tell him to park in the driveway so people don’t think I’m up to something."

Everyone — barbers and clients included — bursts out in laughter.

Herder actually thinks being a Black barber in a predominantly white state has some advantages. Mainly, he is more comfortable cutting all different types of hair than most in the valley.

"Even to this day, most barbers here prefer not to do (cut Black hair), even though they're professionals," Herder said. "They prefer the classic white or classic older white gentleman's style haircut. And I can do it all. So that kind of puts me at an advantage."

This month marks the second-year anniversary for the A Philly-Aided Barbers. In a timeline not filled with a global pandemic, that would have meant a big party at the shop featuring authentic Philadelphia food. But in this one, it meant a much more muted celebration as Herder, like so many small businesses, try to find ways to survive the pandemic.

His still-new shop didn’t qualify for a PPP loan under the CARES Act, which meant there wasn't government relief after he had to close his doors for six weeks. He was able to stay afloat, mainly due to his wife’s job not shutting down, but it hurt him that he wasn’t able to better help his employees.

"I love them," Herder said. "They helped me build my business. I could barely even tell them that we have to shut down and now we're not getting any help."

The frustration is real; it stems from the virus itself to how things have been handled to how it has affected him. He looks around the spacious shop — his spacious shop — and he begins to tear up.

"I'm super blessed," Herder said. "I'm very thankful. A lot of things go on in my life and I don't get to say thank you enough."

The conversation can change quickly.

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