Video Transcript: Snow can’t slow him down: Syracuse barber opens new barbershop despite huge snowstorm
| Eddie McCarthy: Joey Tesorio is in his element — clippers in hand, smile on his face. For him, there’s nothing like a fresh haircut. Joey Tesorio: I remember when I used to get my hair cut — I was so fired up leaving there, you feel so good. McCarthy: But this week, the cuts mean even more because Joey’s a brand new small business owner. Tesorio: It’s been a blessing, kid. McCarthy: That blessing comes with long hours. Joey’s in before dawn. And not everything’s going to plan. He’s calling his shop Joey T’s Cuts, but there’s no front-door sign – the delivery delayed by snow. Yet he’s not letting that bring down his spirits. Tesorio: I was up at five o’clock. I flew right out of bed, too. This was like the first, you know, I had to get it going. I knew it was snowing – had to shovel the steps off and stuff, so it’s awesome. McCarthy: Throughout the day, the snow just kept falling. But because it was Joey T, the people just kept coming. Tesorio: It’s unbelievable. It doesn’t feel like real life, feels like I’ve just been talking to people today. McCarthy: One of those people is Casey Carbery. The two go way back. Casey Carbery: He actually went to school with my kids, so I’ve known Joey a long time. McCarthy: What’s Joey doing for Casey today? Carbery: Cleaning it up after a long, long siesta, so to speak. McCarthy: Joey clips, scissors, blow dries, trims the beard, and admires his work. This haircut, like every other, a reminder why he became a business owner. Tesorio: You know, my kids and my family. I’ve gotta grind and provide for them and really, they just drive me to a new level. McCarthy: The next level is the next customer. Joey’s back to work. Clippers buzzing, smile beaming. Eddie McCarthy, NCC News. |
NORTH SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Opening a small business isn’t easy and doing it during a snowstorm is even tougher. However, that hasn’t stopped Joey Tesorio.
Tesorio officially opened JoeyT’s Cuts this week on Brewerton Road in North Syracuse. He embraced the challenge the snow posed.
“I was up at 5 o’clock and flew right out of bed,” Tesorio said. “I knew it was snowing, so I had to shovel off the steps and get it going.”
Tesorio was rewarded for his efforts with a full schedule of appointments from dawn until dusk. One customer, Gary Cook, credits Tesorio’s early success to his infectious personality.
“He’s my boy,” Cook said. “I’ve been going to him for a few years now, and he always takes care of you.”
Tesorio said the whole day was a dream come true.
“It doesn’t feel like real life,” Tesorio said. “It feels like I’ve just been talking to people today.”
Tesorio expects to be working 12 hours per day for the foreseeable future. A sacrifice, he explained, he is happy to make.
“I do it for my kids and my family,” Tesorio said. “They drive me to a new level.”
For Tesorio, the long hours and winter weather have simply become part of the job as he settles into life as a new small business owner.