Tonsorial Barber Arts College in Texarkana expands its operating space

Charles, left, and Ben House are brothers and owners/operators of Tonsorial Barber Arts College in Oaklawn Village. They have just expanded their space.
Charles, left, and Ben House are brothers and owners/operators of Tonsorial Barber Arts College in Oaklawn Village. They have just expanded their space.

TEXARKANA, Texas - Teach a man to fish, you enable him to eat for life. Teach a man a trade, he can feed himself and his family, too. That's what the brothers House, Ben and Charles, had in mind when they opened Tonsorial Barber Arts College in 2016. Operating it has gone well for the owners, to the point where they are expanding their space in Oaklawn Village Shopping Center to increase their ability to train students in the barber and cosmetic arts.

"It is about taking a good person, and turning them into a better person," said Ben House, a barber/cosmetic arts professional for about 22 years. His brother, Charles, has been in the trade about 10 years.

"With a trade like this, a person can take care of themselves and provide for a family," he said. "That's what we do here."

Ben and Charles House are both certified instructors.

Ben House says one of the motives for originally starting their school was to have a place for them to continue burnishing their own skills in the field.

"I originally got my license in cosmetology," Ben said. "But I wanted to do barber work as well. A cosmetologist, by the way, can work in the barber field. They just cannot handle razors."

Charles got his initial barbering license in Dallas, but believed that it was possible to share his skills in the Twin Cities. Tonsorial Barber Arts College was the result of their ambition.

Since then, a few other barber cosmetology schools have opened in Texarkana. Texarkana College also has its own program in cosmetology.

As COVID made its effects felt in Texarkana, various fields, including barber and cosmetology, have had trouble getting qualified employees. So the House brothers saw another opportunity. When more space became available in Oaklawn Village they expanded their school.

"In addition, the time required to train a new barber or cosmetologist has gone down," said Charles House. "It used to be you needed 1,500 hours of study before getting your license. Now it is 1,000 hours. That is barely enough time to teach you everything you need to know, but it can be done, if you are dedicated."

The grand opening for the new space for Tonsorial Barber Arts College will take place Oct. 16.

(For more information, find Tonsorial Barber Arts College on Facebook. Call them at 903-255-7003. They are located at 2831 New Boston Road.)

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