Life & Work with James O’Neal

Today we’d like to introduce you to James O’Neal.  

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I moved up to Raleigh last year in November of 2022 after getting hired on at Mister Pompadour Barber Lounge. Aimed with nothing but a dollar and a dream. Nowhere to live as of yet. I took the job on a whim. 

In my mind, I had been wanting to leave Fayetteville, which is only an hour and a half south of Raleigh. As I knew that there is an abundance of opportunities here in the triangle as well as the growth. 

Let’s backtrack to the early beginnings of how I started. I worked in retail pharmacy for almost ten years. Five years prior, I was feeling burnt out. I enrolled at UNCP to pursue a mass com degree with major in journalism and a minor in broadcasting. After completing my first year, I ended up switching the two around. Now concentrating on a major in broadcasting and minor in Journalism. Just like your typical college student. I opted for partying and allowed my GPA to slip way down. I ended up on academic probation and as a result of not upholding my end of the probationary period. I ended up getting kicked out for a semester and never returned. Instead, I went back to work at the pharmacy again until I could figure out my next plan. I was 27 and closer to 30 before I knew it. I couldn’t afford to get haircuts every two weeks. I had this brilliant idea to just cut my own hair. The mohawks were in style at the time. I figured I could do my own and didn’t need to go to a shop. So, my mom gifted me a pair of conairs from Walmart. I cut my own hair and did pretty well. The lightbulb came on, and I just loved how the clippers felt in my hand. It was as if I was in control of the outcome of my hairstyle. A lot like how it is when I’m in control of the outcome of my client’s hair. I always loved the feeling of leaving the shop with a fresh cut and how it made me feel. I wanted to do the same for anyone I came across. 

I did my research and figured out what I needed to do. So, I enrolled myself at FTCC in May of 2015, and was one of the hardest things. I sacrificed time at work, and things were hard in the beginning for the first month. I ended up with a part-time job on the weekends at a group home for young women from the ages of 18-12 at a level four facility. I did that and worked at the pharmacy whenever possible. It took me 13 months to complete 1,528 hours of barber training as recommended by the state barber board. I finally graduated in June of 2016. 

I didn’t learn a lot in barber school prior to graduating, and my confidence was real low. I ended up taking the rest of year off. It wasn’t until the beginning of 2017 that I knew I needed to get back to doing what I set out to do and finish what I started. I started at my first barbershop out by the military base. Two weeks into the job. I get fired for not passing my state board exam. It sent me into a spiral of depression, doubt, and feeling not worthy of being a barber. I had lost all faith and felt hopeless. I had quit my job at the pharmacy earlier that year, and I refused to go back. I worked odds-and-end jobs til I moved to NYC in October of 2017. I tried my hand at barbering there, and was a complete disaster. I ended up working at a gift shop inside of a hotel in Grand Central. In June of 2018, BarberCon was coming to NY. I really wanted to go see what it was about. Many vendors, educators, and barber demos were held there that day. It reignited a fire inside of me, and I told myself I would come back to Fayetteville and be the best that I could be. I started missing home a lot prior to BarberCon and was ready to move back. In July of 2018, I moved back home and ended up working odds-and-end jobs until it was time for me to retest for my apprentice license. I passed and ended up working at Duane’s barbershop until 2019. I left to go to the Sandhills Shave Shop Fayetteville and worked there until Jan of 2021. Afterwards, I left to go work for OffLimits Barbershop in Fayetteville, right by the Yadkin Road gate up until leaving there for Mister Pompadour Barber Lounge where I’m currently employed. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not; the first year is the hardest. I messed up for three months straight and was close to throwing in the towel. I persevered and pushed through it. You’re never gonna be perfect, and you can’t cut everyone’s hair the same exact way. Learning how to cut coarse hair was the hardest. The lineup is everything. Doesn’t matter if the fade or haircut is A1. If that lineup isn’t done right. The whole haircut is messed up. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a barber here in Raleigh, currently working out of Mister Pompadour Barber lounge with seven years of experience. I specialize in all textures, styles, and especially beards. Beards from close to the face to down to the waist. I’m most proud of everything I accomplished thus far and never giving up even in the worst of times. My beard work as well as attention to detail and customer service/professionalism. 

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Quiet, shy, rebellious kid raised in the 90s. Cartoons and art (drawings) were the centerpiece of my existence. I knew early on as a young child, I wanted to be an artist. 

Contact Info:

• TikTok: @thewhalerbarber15
• Instagram: @beardscapeartist2.0

Image Credits
Travon Mays
Wrightthroughthelens
Inkera Oshun