Eagle alum offers cutting edge hairstyles at Cheney barbershop

By BECKY THOMAS

Staff Reporter

One thing brought Darius Washington to Cheney 10 years ago: Eastern Washington University football. Now, thanks to several factors, he's back. This time instead of a football he's wielding a pair of hair clippers and he's hoping to become a local mainstay for students and others in Cheney with his barbershop, University Cutz.

He opened his shop at 113 F St. in the former Cheney Flooring storefront in late November. Washington said he hopes to make the business a meeting place for young people as well as a go-to for good barber service.

“It's a good place to have in the community. I noticed we were lacking barbershops. We have plenty of salons,” he said. “I just noticed a need for someone young in the community who can relate to kids.”

Washington, a standout running back during his 2001-2005 tenure at EWU, said he didn't expect to return to Cheney after he graduated and moved to New York. But his longtime girlfriend Danielle was a Cheney native and his family lived in Western Washington, so they moved back two years ago.

Washington said he worked in real estate in New York, getting to know the business world and using his communications degree. But when the couple came back to their home state, the economic downturn struck Washington as he was hired and laid off from three different jobs. That instability led him to consider starting his own business.

“The economy is ultimately what pushed me to open my own shop because it was just unstable at the time,” he said.

So he went back to school to get licensed as a barber and started looking for a location. He said he wanted to be near campus but also have that old school barbershop feel.

“I was just walking by here one day and I saw a for rent sign,” he said. “Every time I've seen a barbershop I've seen these big windows. I thought, you know, this kind of just looks like a barbershop.”

So he rented the space and revamped it, installing new floors and a barber chair and bringing in racks for hair products as well as clothing, hats and shoes.

But his main offering is a good haircut. Washington offers men's haircuts from $10 and women's cuts from $20. He said he's targeting the younger demographic, offering trendy hairstyles for guys.

“I can do anything from a bald fade to a taper to a faux hawk to a mohawk,” he said. “Any hairstyle that you can do with a clipper I can do. There's no need to go to Spokane.”

So far Washington said he's gotten a lot of support from the campus community. Coaches he knew as a student are spreading the word.

“A lot of the basketball guys are coming in,” he said. “It's been great so far.”

Washington hopes to grow the business and has been marketing around town. He said he'd like to hire another stylist if and when the need arises.

“I want to be overwhelmed,” he said.

For now, Washington is happy to greet the walk-ins and friends who come into his shop.

“I'm just thankful to be a part of the Eastern Washington alumni family and the community of Cheney,” he said. “I just want, you know, everybody out there who's already supported me, I just want to thank them.”

University Cutz is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and by appointment Sunday and Monday. Washington can be reached at 509-721-0395.

Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].