Close To Home | Denny Moe's Superstar Barbershop, Harlem, NYC | Episode 5

What makes the relationship between a barber and a client different from almost any other local business?

For Dennis “Denny Moe” Mitchell, Owner & Operator of Denny Moe's Superstar Barbershop, the answer starts with trust. After four decades serving Harlem, he has seen the chair become a place where people talk about family, work, health and just about everything else happening in their lives.

In Episode 5 of Close to Home, Jason Manningham walks Harlem with Denny to talk about the neighborhood, the people he serves and the role the barbershop plays beyond a haircut. Denny describes himself as a public servant and makes clear that knowing your community is inseparable from running the business.

That idea takes on even greater meaning in Cutting for a Cure. After Denny's father had pancreatic cancer, he helped build a 48-hour haircutting marathon around cancer awareness, screening, early detection and prevention. With support from organizations including Harlem Hospital and Abyssinian Baptist Church, the barbershop became a place where taking care of people could include taking care of their health.

Along the way, Denny tells Jason where he'd advertise beyond Harlem and plays a round of Would You Drive For That? with a few New York institutions in the mix.

As Denny puts it, he is "the barber with the caring clippers." It is a line that captures the larger idea behind the episode: the haircut matters, but the relationships around it matter just as much.

Visit Denny Moe’s Superstar Barbershop at 2496 Frederick Douglass Blvd in Harlem, learn more at dennymoe.com, and follow along on Instagram at @dennymoes.

Close to Home is a series about local business, community, and the power of proximity.

Previous: Episode 4: Sweet Pickle Books, Lower East Side, NYC

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