SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The man behind the razor styling hair designs for hundreds of city customers said he loves what he does and where he lives but breaking into the community wasn't easy.

Aron Abadi said since moving to the North he's made friends, has found a new family at Ragged Ass Barbers but he's had to work to earn acceptance from some folks who haven't always been welcoming. The 28-year-old Eritrean said he's been in Canada for about five years and moved to Yellowknife from Ottawa around two-and-a-half years ago. He said most of the people he's met here are friendly, but on one or two occasions - when hanging out in bars on his free time - he has become the subject of negative attention because of the way he looks.

"It's happened that someone will just see me and want to fight," he said.

"They'll ask me, 'What are you looking at,' and come up wanting to fight. I don't need any of that. I am a professional barber."

Abadi said he rents a chair at the barber shop for more than $3,000 per year and has been working hard to build his customer base, styling two or more of his unique designs every day. He'll give people whatever they want, he said, and sees a lot of repeat customers, especially youngsters wanting graphic-design hair-dos.

Abadi said in one instance a mother who had a problem with him when he was minding his own business at a dance club, made an about face when she realized his was the steady hand shaving the coveted hair designs.

"Her kid wanted to have a hair cut and when she came in and realized it was me, she was so embarrassed," Abadi said, adding that the woman tried to apologize for her behaviour the next time she saw him at the club by buying him a drink. Still feeling burned, Abadi said he wouldn't accept the offer, and the upset woman threw it on the ground and left, he said.

"I wanted to fix that, so one day when I saw her around town I asked her if she wanted to have dinner to tell her who I am," he said. By the time he'd introduced himself to the woman at dinner and explained why he felt she hadn't given him fair treatment tears were flowing down her face, he said.

Owner Jimmy McGaughey said he found Abadi on Facebook when they were looking for a new hair-cutter.

"We were looking for anybody at that time. We 'd been looking for a barber for almost two years" he said. "Me and Aron are like brothers and he's been an absolute blessing ever since he showed up on our doorstep. We clicked right away."

McGaughey said he came to the city when the shop opened about five years ago, and said that unsubstantiated rumours can spread quickly in small communities. They can be prickly places for new people, he said.

"It doesn't take much ... to rub people the wrong way," he said. "Especially when someone is doing well for themselves. I've experienced that myself."

Abadi said he's glad most people he's met here haven't judge him by the way he looks. He said he wants to get the word out about his work, and wants people to know he's a nice guy.

"When I do the kids, often their friends come in wanting the same thing but a little different," he said. "They call me Uncle Aron."

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