Iurie Feraru. "Dirty Mexican" in quarantine.

Interview with Iurie Feraru, owner of the “Dirty Mexican” barbershop. The material was prepared as part of the business support project by the lending company Microinvest.

About interview

Iurie Feraru, Iurie Barber, “Dirty Mexican”. Born in Moldova, he lived in a boarding school for up to 6 years, after which he moved to Turkey with his mother. He started working at the age of seven. Got the “Dirty Mexican” label in Sochi. It has been 3 years since he settled in Moldova. What he does, in the classifier of professions is called “hairdresser”. In fact, the English word “barber” fits best here. Four months ago, Iurie opened the “Dirty Mexican” barbershop in Chisinau. Due to quarantine, the interview took place by phone. The discussion lasted an hour and a half. Towards the end it became clear, to write an interview will be difficult, I have to write a book. But the book is the next step, and for now – an interview in the Microinvest project of business support – it will consist of pieces from our discussion.

About Turkey

At the age of 6, my mother took me from boarding school and I moved to Turkey. I started working at the age of 7, being an assistant at a butchery. I was a smart boy, from whom you could recharge with energy like from a battery. I met a manager from a large network of stores and I started to help him, putting the products in bags for buyers. Also there I was noticed by the owner of a large parking lot with an area for presentations and I went there. I had a big teapot, glasses and from morning to evening I was selling tea. Believe me, even those who didn’t even think about tea, seeing me, were smiling and ordering one. At the end of a good day, I had 30 euros in my pocket – tips……

About the cult of respect in the “Mexican Dirty” barbershop

We are now a team of 6 people. It was not easy to form it and not because I have a complicated system of rules. There are no special rules in the barbershop, no compulsory form, each manifest itself as it feels. The only rule I will never give up and for which reason it was so hard to form a team is – RESPECT. I always tell my team, “if each of us respects our work, respects our customers and respects each other, then we will succeed them all.”

I understand quite clearly, I will not be able to grow by myself, I need a team, I need people who share the same idea of respect with me. Only then “Hello, Bro”, told to the customer will not sound like an exaggerated familiarity, but it will be the sign of true respect. “Hello, we’re glad to see you here. Everything will be done at the highest level and you will feel like you’re home”.

How the “Dirty Mexican” appeared

I was living and working in Sochi then. I was 17, so clubs, as you understand, were very attractive to me. I was dealing with many things, even boxing. Somehow, once I was announced as “Dirty Mexican”. Since then this nickname has been sticking to me. When I decided to open the first barbershop, I could not imagine another name, except “Dirty Mexican”. The first barbershop I have opened right there, in Sochi. After that I had to return to Turkey, and when “Dirty Mexican” opened in Chisinau, the interior repeated exactly the design of the one from Sochi.

The Chisinau semaphore

I came to Chisinau when, from all the instruments, I had only a hair clipper. I was already known on Instagram, so the customers appeared from the beginning. Later I started to act according to the plan. At first I rented only one chair, then a whole barbershop. When choosing the location, I drew attention to the crossroad and semaphore. I thought, “Half the city is driving here. At the red semaphore, everyone will stop and see the inscription “Dirty Mexican”.

A very lyrical deviation (dialog between Pavel Zingan and Iurie Feraru)

Iurie, wait a minute. Where – where is your barbershop? At the crossroad of the Mateevici and Alecsandri streets, after the Armenian cemetery?

Yes. A hairdresser was here before too. Why are you asking?

Nothing! It’s just that at this hairdresser I got a haircut until I was 7 years old. I lived at the crossroad of Mateevici and Armenească streets and my mother took me to this hairdresser. On the chair there was another small stool , and my haircut was called “полубокс”. Oh, what memories… There, before cemetery entrance, there was also a bakery… What a coincidence! As the quarantine ends, I will certainly come to you to remember my childhood.

Money for start up

When I realized I am ready to open a barbershop in Chisinau, I had not enough money. Neither for the first renovation nor for the second. I was helped by my customers who were grooming at me – they left me 500 euros. A boy, he was working in Germany, transferred 300 euros to me. But Microinvest helped me the most. Boys from Microinvest were my customers, they knew me very well, so from Microinvest I took the largest credit – 150,000 lei.

„Dirty Mexican” in quarantine

We managed to work only a few months before the quarantine began. Of course we closed the doors of our barbershop, what alternatives did I have? In such a situation you instantly remember your debts… And while I thought so, they called me from Microinvest. The first thing I thought about was that I would be reminded of my debt, but it was like, “Hello. How is it going? How do you feel? Is everything allright? We call to tell you that you do not have to worry. We will not calculate penalties until June 1, and during this time we will discuss what repayment schedule to make later, so that it will be convenient for you to pay”. What can I say? It’s good when you have partners like that.

What will we do when the quarantine will end? I don’t think it will end in a moment. The world has certainly made a restart, just like a computer. It will not be as it was soon or maybe never will be. Initially we will work with some restrictions, fewer customers in the barbershop, with masks and respecting all safety measures. The most important thing – to start the activity. Until now we were doing shows for clients without masks, with masks maybe we will succeed even better, who knows?

The show begins

While it’s quarantine, Bro, I decided to start shooting my own show. “I have no experience, but I think it will be interesting.” Real discussions with real people. I have already made the announcement for the pilot edition. Let’s publish it at the end of the interview. I tell them all – from here in Chisinau, I really want to start a successful business. “Dirty Mexican” must become a well known brand.

https://www.facebook.com/yuri.feraru/videos/278087773201101/?t=42

Pavel Zingan.

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