Old school, new style: Barber school owner brings skills, passion to his corner of Moline

The owner of New Style Barbershop, Rosas also owns and runs New Style Hair Academy, a successful barber college in the Quad-Cities. When he started, that wasn't his goal. But like he often does, he found his passion and continued to open every door to new opportunity that he could find.

"I started my first shop in 2008, I was maybe 22, and I've been cutting hair and self-employed ever since," he said.

Growing up in Rock Island, Rosas began cutting hair while he was in junior high. He was both his first customer and first barber.

"I started cutting my own hair when I was about 12 years old. We didn't always have money to go to a barber shop so my mom would cut our hair at the house, but she would destroy our haircuts," he said with a laugh. "So I started messing with my own hair and I just liked it."

That evolved into cutting hair for his friends, where Rosas discovered his calling in being able to offer a service that helped people. He kept that passion through his childhood and during his last two years at Rock Island High School, where he entered a barbering vocational program.

Everyday from noon to 3 p.m., he drove himself to a barber school on Avenue of the Cities in Moline and got to work.

"From there we would do a little bit of bookwork and then just cut people's hair as they walked in," he said.

After graduation, Rosas decided to put his barbering dreams on the back burner. Growing up, his dad performed concrete work and Rosas wanted to join the business.

The pair worked together for a while, but it wasn't long before the grueling conditions started to wear on Rosas. His dad noticed and encouraged him to go back to cutting hair, where his real passion was.

Taking his father's advice to heart, he partnered with another barber to open a shop. Rosas was only 19 and still in barber college, but his dreams of entrepreneurship were calling. The partnership eventually dissolved and Rosas switched to other odd jobs to pay the bills while he was still in school.

By the time he turned 21 he was ready to open up shop again. This time, all by himself.

"That's when I first started the New Style Barbershop. And then when I was 22, I bought the building," he said.

The shop is located at 101 5th Avenue in Moline, on a corner in a mostly residential neighborhood. He started small, working alone, but eventually grew his business to having eight barbers in his shop.

With his life coming full circle, he decided to take things a step further and see what he could do at competitions. By 2010 he was on the road at barber competitions, traveling to Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas and New York.

Rosas became popular for his ability to cut intricate designs into hair. In 2012, he took home second place in an Ohio competition for cutting the cartoon character Yosemite Sam in hair. His skills improved and by 2014 he made national headlines for cutting a Colonel Sanders design on a client.

The move earned him free KFC for life.

In late 2015 he made headlines again for cutting a portrait of Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arietta into hair. His Instagram post went viral, sending him to Chicago to give more Cubs-themed haircuts and even meet the pitcher.

The spotlight stayed on Rosas that year when he was featured on Cedric's Barber Battle, a reality-competition show that featured barbers from across the country. The CW show was hosted by comedian Cedric the Entertainer and featured three barbers per episode. The trio would be given challenges to complete and were eliminated one by one until a winner was declared.

Representing Chicago in his episode, Rosas took home the glory, and $15,000 cash. Once he made it back to Moline, he let his passion for teaching do the talking.

A few years later, he bought yet another building at 1628 15th Place in Moline, remodeled it and poured his TV show winnings into expanding his business with a barber college.

"I was a barber for a long time and I was thinking that I didn't want to have to cut hair my whole life," he said. "I feel like I'm pretty good at cutting hair and figured I could make some money off teaching other people and showing them my skills."

The school opened in 2018 and has had steady enrollment. Over the past six years, Rosas estimated he has graduated about 10-12 barbers every year.

"For the Quad-Cities, it's not a huge demand but I think with certain influences more people are jumping into because they see guys like me and other barbers that are making good money. So it's a decent demand," he said. "I probably have a list of about 25 people right now that want to, but they just can't afford to come here."

To be a barber, Rosas said, requirements include having a high school diploma or GED and being at least 16 years old. The full-time program takes eight to 10 months, but, like Rosas noted, it comes in at a big cost.

Barber school at New Style is $12,800 and there is no financial aid offered just yet. But, Rosas has been working on that for three years and has finally earned his accreditation. By the summer, he is hopeful everything will be lined up for students to apply for federal financial aid through FAFSA.

Then, he said, all 38 chairs in his school will be filled up in no time.

In school, students do classwork for an hour or two every day. In the classroom they watch demonstrations, study hair textures and color and even practice on mannequins. Once they're ready, they are sent out to the cutting floor to practice on one another, and any other client who walks through the doors.

"We get people from all walks of life," he said. "A lot of men come in with their kids, boys. All races really."

Being a barber college, Rosas only charges $10 per hair cut. The quality, however remains high.

"Just because it's a barber school and it's obviously less expensive, it doesn't even matter," he said. "We have a nice atmosphere here. It's clean, it's a cool look. It's just different and something you don't really see in the Quad-Cities."

Inside, the space is brightly lit by a honey comb light fixture on the ceiling. The grey walls are accented with posters, albums and portraits of celebrities. Clients draped in protective capes sit quietly as students narrow their focus, learning to perfect their craft. One of those is DaVontae Hicks.

The 20-year-old has been in school since July, but has already been cutting hair for a decade. His father also is a barber, and Hicks has been ready to follow in his footsteps for years.

"When I'm here I'm working toward a goal," he said. "I meet a lot of new people form different cultures, ethnicities. It's just a different environment from what I'm used to."

While growing up in Davenport, Hicks said he grew used to seeing the same people day in and day out. At New Style, everyone from CEOs to children come in for a cut. In the end, it's all the same to Hicks, who is backed by the support of his father and the inspiration he draws from Rosas.

"Once I told (my dad) I was going to take it seriously and go all the way, he was glad because he'd been telling me to. He was telling me it was long over due," Hicks said. "Eventually I want to do what Miguel does in a way, have my own school and barber shop. Just maxing out what I can do."

Rosas said the passion the students bring into the school is what makes it work the way it does. His next big move is to continue expanding, opening up a cosmetology school on the other side of his building. Being able to add in a whole new set of students and clients will open more doors for entrepreneurship and give students a chance to build their own empires and skills, he said.

Everyone has to start somewhere and if they choose to start in Moline, Rosas said, the clients will be there to support them. It's the New Style promise.

"When they come to a school, they know they're helping a student out whose here to learn," he said. "People just like to help out."