After shop closure, veteran barber finds new home by renting chair in nearby salon

(From left) Hair salon owner Angel Song welcoming barbers Yuzzrie Adahar and Maksum Hashim after the barber shop they were working for had to downsize due to rent hikes.

ST PHOTO: CHIN SOO FANG

Published Oct 31, 2026, 04:00 PM

Updated Oct 31, 2026, 04:00 PM

Veteran barber Yuzzrie Adahar's former barber shop saw rent jumped from about "$7,500" to "$10,000" a month.

He now rents a chair for "$50 a day" at neighbour Angel Song’s salon, serves about 12 customers daily, and earns roughly what he did before.

The chair-rental model can help barbers and owners, but it works best for stylists with regular customers.

SINGAPORE - Veteran barber Yuzzrie Adahar thought he had to hang up his shaver in 2025, when the shop he was employed at in Hougang Central closed.

The business owner gave up the unit following a steep increase in monthly rent from about $7,500 to $10,000 and later found a smaller space nearby, but it could not accommodate all eight barbers, said Yuzzrie, 61. The original unit at Block 806 is now occupied by a licensed moneylender.

Yuzzrie turned to Angel Song, who owns the manicure shop next to his former workplace.

The Beijing-born Singapore citizen also runs an eight-seater hair salon in neighbouring Block 805, and agreed to take him in.

Yuzzrie now pays $50 a day to rent a chair, resting on Tuesday. He works from 8am to 5pm and cuts the hair of about 12 customers daily.

He operates from a fixed chair, an arrangement he proposed to Song that is akin to having his own space within her salon.

The words “Botak Your Barber” are pasted on the mirror, alongside his business hours and phone number. He displays his own PayNow QR code and outside Song’s H & A hair salon, a standing banner also advertises for “H & A Malay Barber”.

Asked about his special arrangement, Yuzzrie said one must have “guts and confidence” to stay afloat. His take-home pay is now roughly what he earned before.

He and Song communicate in simple English, but language has not been a barrier to their working relationship.

“We get along well. She trusts me by giving me the keys to the salon since I start work hours earlier,” he said. “It’s a two-way thing, as more customers walk in when they see the salon bustling from early morning.”

For Song, who has run her salon for more than 20 years, helping him was a natural decision after years as neighbours.

“His skill is so good, and he has many regular customers. It would be such a waste if he has to stop working,” said Song.

IT professional Andy Lim, 54, has been Yuzzrie’s customer for more than two decades.

He continues to make the trip monthly for his $12 haircut, even after moving from Sengkang to Tampines. He has to call to secure an appointment with his favourite barber.

“Coming to this salon is no different from the former barber shop as it is still in the same area,” said Lim. “I follow him because he knows my style.”

Song also offered two of Yuzzrie’s former colleagues a different arrangement in June 2025. Instead of paying a daily chair rental, they give her 40 per cent of their weekly earnings.

One of them is Maksum Hashim, 70, who starts work later in the day and stop s at 8.30pm. He serves about six customers a day.

He opted against renting a chair as he has fewer regulars. “It’s my fault. I did not tell my customers where I have moved to,” he said.

He makes about $200 less monthly now but is happy with the arrangement as Song allows him to come in late after taking his medication in the mornings.

Renting out salon chairs is not new in the industry, according to salon owners and social media advertisements.

Fearless Image & Grooming on Race Course Road rents out a salon chair for $300 a week, excluding hair products.

Founder Muhammad Jaya Nudin, 37, introduced the chair rental scheme about six months ago in his one-year-old salon.

Several stylists have enquired, but there are no takers yet.

“It’s a win-win for both stylists and salon owners,” he said. “For me, it eases my overheads. For stylists, they don’t have to rent a whole physical space.”

The arrangement may not work for for all stylists, he added.

“Stylists need their own regular clientele, since they are essentially running their own business,” he said. “If not, they would rather depend on the salon’s customers and pay commission on them.”

Chin Soo Fang is senior correspondent at The Straits Times, covering a wide range of topics including community, politics, social issues, consumer, culture and heritage.

（从左至右）理发店老板 Angel Song 迎接理发师 Yuzzrie Adahar 和 Maksum Hashim，此前由于租金上涨，他们工作的理发店不得不缩小规模。

照片：陈秀芳

发布于2026年10月31日下午4:00

更新于2026年10月31日下午4:00

资深理发师 Yuzzrie Adahar 的理发店租金从每月约 7,500 美元涨到了 10,000 美元。

他现在在邻居 Angel Song 的美发沙龙租一个椅子，每天租金 50 美元，每天服务大约 12 位顾客，收入和以前差不多。

座椅租赁模式可以帮助理发师和理发店老板，但对于拥有固定顾客的造型师来说效果最佳。

新加坡——资深理发师尤兹里·阿达哈尔 (Yuzzrie Adahar) 原以为，到 2025 年，他工作的位于后港中心的理发店关闭时，他就不得不放下他的剃须刀了。

据61岁的尤兹里称，由于月租金从约7500美元大幅上涨至10000美元，店主放弃了原先的店面，后来在附近找到了一间较小的店面，但无法容纳全部八位理发师。原先位于806号街区的店面现在由一家持牌放贷机构占用。

尤兹里转向了安吉尔·宋，她在他以前工作地点的隔壁开了一家美甲店。

这位出生于北京的新加坡公民还在隔壁的 805 座组屋经营着一家八座理发店，并同意收留他。

尤兹里现在每天花50美元租一个理发椅，周二休息。他从早上8点工作到下午5点，每天大约给12位顾客理发。

他坐在固定的椅子上工作，这是他向宋提出的安排，相当于在她的沙龙里拥有了自己的空间。

镜子上贴着“Botak Your Barber”（理发师）的字样，旁边是他的营业时间和电话号码。他还展示了自己的PayNow二维码。在宋氏H&A美发沙龙外，也挂着一块横幅，上面写着“H&A马来理发师”。

当被问及他的特殊安排时，尤兹里表示，要想维持生计，必须要有“胆量和自信”。他现在的实际收入和以前差不多。

他和宋用简单的英语交流，但语言并没有成为他们工作关系的障碍。

“我们相处得很好。她很信任我，因为我上班时间比她早，所以把美发店的钥匙给了我，”他说。“这是双向的，顾客看到美发店一大早就开始热闹起来，自然就会有更多人进来。”

对于经营美发沙龙超过 20 年的宋女士来说，在多年做邻居之后，帮助他是顺理成章的决定。

“他的手艺非常好，有很多回头客。如果他停止工作，那真是太可惜了，”宋先生说。

54岁的IT专业人士Andy Lim已经是Yuzzrie二十多年的客户了。

即使从盛港搬到淡滨尼，他仍然每月坚持花12美元去理发。他必须打电话预约他最喜欢的理发师。

林先生说：“这家理发店和以前的理发店没什么区别，因为它们还在同一个区域。我跟着他来是因为他了解我的发型。”

2025 年 6 月，宋还向 Yuzzrie 的两位前同事提出了不同的安排。他们不必支付每日的椅子租金，而是将每周收入的 40% 交给她。

其中一位是70岁的马克苏姆·哈希姆，他上班时间较晚，晚上8点半下班。他每天大约服务六位顾客。

由于常客减少，他选择不租椅子。“都是我的错。我没告诉顾客我搬到哪里去了。”他说。

他现在每月收入减少了约 200 美元，但他对这种安排很满意，因为宋允许他早上服药后晚些来上班。

根据美发沙龙老板和社交媒体广告显示，出租美发椅在业内并不新鲜。

位于赛马场路的 Fearless Image & Grooming 美发沙龙出租美发椅，每周租金 300 美元，不包含美发产品。

创始人穆罕默德·贾亚·努丁（Muhammad Jaya Nudin）现年 37 岁，大约六个月前在他经营了一年的美发沙龙中推出了座椅租赁计划。

已有几位造型师询问过，但目前还没有人接手。

他说：“这对发型师和沙龙老板来说都是双赢。对我来说，这减轻了我的运营成本。对发型师来说，他们不必租用整个店面。”

他补充说，这种安排可能并不适用于所有造型师。

他说：“发型师需要自己的固定客源，因为他们本质上是在经营自己的生意。否则，他们宁愿依赖沙龙的顾客，并支付佣金。”

Chin Soo Fang 是《海峡时报》的资深记者，报道范围广泛，包括社区、政治、社会问题、消费者、文化和遗产等话题。