Recovery and remediation are the words of the week at 32 Degreez Barbershop on Westheimer Road in West Houston, where community strength is palpable in the face of recent calamity. The storefront has remarkably reopened Just a week after the shocking incident, a car barreled into the barbershop and several other businesses. The 61-year-old driver who lost control of his vehicle caused injuries to three people, including a young boy, as reported by Click2Houston.
Amidst recovery efforts, the owner of 32 Degreez Barbershop, Darrick Brown, expressed his gratitude for the community's swift action to help restore the shop. "Everybody came together, you know, because you know, friends, family, everybody was showing up, coming to help, and we were just moving, we were getting everything," Brown told KHOU 11 News. Despite sustaining at least $50,000 in damages and still bearing tire marks on the floor, Brown was determined to reopen before Christmas to attend to his clientele with important events ahead.
Included in the injured was a 10-year-old boy who was moments away from receiving a haircut when the car crashed through the establishment around 12:30 p.m. on a Saturday. The barber, Chez Robertson, recounted to KHOU 11 News his sense of personal concern, stating, "Him being my client made it kind of personal for me." The boy is expected to recover fully after undergoing surgery and a hospital stay, where Robertson maintained contact with his family and expressed profound relief upon his discharge.
Despite the accident, clientele loyalty remains strong for the neighborhood barbershop. Customer Tyrus Williams, who has been visiting 32 Degreez for a decade, told KHOU 11 News, "If it’s not one of the barbers up in 32 Degreez, I wouldn’t go nowhere. Everybody here is pretty good at what they do, and we are all family." On re-opening day, the barbershop was packed, demonstrating community solidarity and the unyielding tenderness that binds local businesses to their patrons.
With investigations ongoing, the Houston police have indicated that the driver will be at fault for the crash. Yet the central narrative remains not of blame, but of resilience and the collective endeavor of a neighborhood to rise from an unfortunate incident, supporting each other through restoration and healing.
