Our Story
Ja’Mal Gilmore grew up in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood. The only child of a single mother, Ja’Mal gravitated to local barbershops, where he swept hair, ran errands, and washed shave towels for tips. The barbershop communities and positive male role models influenced Ja’Mal’s life path and sparked his lifelong dream of opening his own shop.
After high school, Ja’Mal drove boats in Maine and served for six years in the Navy before settling down in Boulder, where he has cut hair for over 12 years and become a fixture in the community. Ja’Mal coaches his son’s little league team, hosts gospel and hip-hop radio shows at KGNU, and volunteers at a homeless shelter.
In 2016, Ja’Mal fulfilled his childhood dream by opening his own barbershop. At Brooklyn Barber Academy, he now provides the type of space, community, and guidance for young people that was so instrumental in his own youth.
After high school, Ja’Mal drove boats in Maine and served for six years in the Navy before settling down in Boulder, where he has cut hair for over 12 years and become a fixture in the community. Ja’Mal coaches his son’s little league team, hosts gospel and hip-hop radio shows at KGNU, and volunteers at a homeless shelter.
In 2016, Ja’Mal fulfilled his childhood dream by opening his own barbershop. At Brooklyn Barber Academy, he now provides the type of space, community, and guidance for young people that was so instrumental in his own youth.
