NAYELI HERNANDEZ – FASHION & LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Every day, dozens of men walk out of Sharp Image Barber Studio at 541 N 1st St in Grand Junction with a fresh haircut from one of the four barbers at the location. Manny Ramirez, barber and owner of the shop, is a recognized barber not only within the Grand Valley but also within the barbering industry.
Since obtaining his barber license at Delta Montrose Technical College in 2015, Ramirez has gained a distinctive clientele and has received several different recognitions for his talent and skills. In Best of The West Awards of 2020, he won the award for the “Best Barber.” These awards are based on the votes of the Grand Valley community members.
Before immersing himself in the barbering industry, Ramirez navigated through many different careers. He worked in retail, factory work, and even spent a few years in the mining industry. While exploring different career paths, he decided to take his chance and pursue a career in barbering, although, it took time, practice and guidance from other professionals to be where he is today.
“I was the worst one, if not one of the worst when we first started. I had little to no experience and at the end of the year they did a barber battle where other barbers from the area that went to barber school there would be judges,” Ramirez said. “I ended up winning that and a lot of people didn’t think I deserved it, but I know I did.”
Continuing to believe in his skills pushed him to carry on with his career and led him to open Sharp Image in June of 2020. Working as a team of four barbers at the shop, Ramirez has been able to impact the lives of his colleagues.
Alex Andrade, a 23-year-old barber at Sharp Image, has worked alongside Ramirez since the opening of the shop. Ramirez is someone who has made his experience there an enjoyable one.
“Honestly, I love working next to him. He’s a very funny guy, I’ll tell you that. He’s an outgoing and very hard-working guy,” Andrade said.
Ramirez has become a well-known barber in the area not only for his talent but also his personality that has always revolved around several traits such as being humble and respecting of others. Knowing that life has its ups and downs, the way we treat others and keeping your feet on the ground are traits that Ramirez has valued a lot over the years.
“I never really said it out loud to a lot of people, but I was bullied as a kid. So, like I really hate bullies. That’s one of the things that has really helped me in my life to not be that way because I used to get looked down on,” Ramirez said. “That’s why I don’t like it when people look down on other people.”
Standing out with his work and his personality, Ramirez has had the opportunity to provide his haircutting services to several famous athletes and different musicians within the Regional Mexican music genre.
In 2016, he was able to contact two players from the Mexico national soccer team, who would check out his work and accept getting a haircut from Ramirez. The experience was nerve-wracking but in the end it worked out perfectly.
He has had many more famous clients since then, around 30, including NFL Football players like Olabisi Johnson from the Minnesota Vikings and Ryan Lewis from the New York Giants.
But as a barber and business owner, it’s the people who daily walk through the door of Sharp Image Barber Studio that make his job a unique one. Like any other profession, it can be stressful. But being the people-person that Ramirez is, he enjoys getting to meet dozens of people each day.
“I like that I get to meet everybody from, professors, to coaches, to drug dealers, to musicians, to athletes,” Ramirez said. “It’s pretty cool because you get to learn about them, or you get to help out people with problems.”
If you’re interested in Ramirez’s barbering services, you can book an appointment online or you can walk into the shop at 541 N 1st St in Grand Junction.
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