A barbershop in Michigan is getting a lot of buzz.
The Fuller Cut barbershop in Ypsilanti, Michigan gives $2 discounts to kids who read books aloud to their barbers while theyâre getting their hair done.
And a lot of the time those two bucks go directly into the kidsâ pockets.
âParents love it and the kids ⊠well, they like getting the two dollars back,â Ryan Griffin, the barber at the Fuller Cut who brought the discount program to the shop, told The Huffington Post with a laugh. âWe get compliments from teachers all the time, too.â
âAll our books have positive images of African-Americans â whether itâs astronauts, athletes or writers.â
The kids at the Fuller Cut donât read any olâ books, either. Because the shop caters to diverse communities, Griffinâs literary selection â which includes 75 to 100 rotating titles â has a very specific theme.
âAll our books have positive images of African-Americans â whether itâs astronauts, athletes or writers,â Griffin said.
Though the idea of having kids read aloud to their barbers may seem novel, Griffin, who has been working at the shop for 20 years, told HuffPost that he didnât think of it. He had heard about the concept, which has been embraced all over the country in places like Dubuque, Iowa, Houston, Texas and Columbus, Ohio, and just thought it was a cut above.
Inspired, the father of three began bringing in old books he had lying around the house and telling parents about the deal.
âAnd thatâs just how it started. It wasnât anything grand. I just wanted to be responsible,â he said. âI hope people reading this and feel the same way go to their barbershop or beauty salons and tell them about this program as well.â
When little kids that donât really know how to read or whatâs going on see an older kid in the chair with a book and then grab a book too, thatâs whatâs important.Ryan Griffin
Griffin said that his community has embraced the idea. The shop has gotten new customers specifically because theyâve heard about the reading program and older kids like to bring in their old books for the shop use.
But thatâs not even the best part.
âWhen little kids that donât really know how to read or whatâs going on see an older kid in the chair with a book and then grab a book too, thatâs whatâs important,â said Griffin. âBecause when a kid thinks itâs cool to read, thatâs a gift.â
Griffin also tracks the progress of the kids who participate in the program. For instance, if a kid doesnât finish a particular book in one session, the next time they come in, he has them pick up the book where they left off. He says by having them read the same book, itâs easy to see when a kidâs reading comprehension is improving.
âSome kids go to class and theyâre afraid to read out loud, but this really builds their confidence,â he said.
And although Griffin knows that he and the shop are making a positive impact on kidsâ lives now, itâs the future that heâs really looking forward to.
âIf we can get kids to come back to the Fuller Cut as adults in college and they tell us, âBecause you guys had us read here, it made me want to be a writer or journalist,â thatâs really the end goal.â