The Making of Big Mike's Barbershop

It’s about 1 ‘o clock on Friday before a long holiday weekend at Big Mike’s Barbershop. I'm greeted by a sight that instantly puts a smile on my face: A tantalizing spread of food awaiting patrons, inviting them to indulge and enjoy the festive atmosphere — barbecue, mac and cheese, greens, you name it… A few people are sitting leisurely on comfy couches, savoring the meal and enjoying each other’s company. It feels like you walked into a family BBQ. And the best part? You’re immediately one of the family members.

“I knew I had to be there for these kids. So, I do my part from behind the chair.”

— Showtime

As I make my way inside, Showtime, one of the barbers and owners, extends a firm handshake and warmly welcomes me as if we're old acquaintances. Big Mike's Barbershop goes beyond providing exceptional haircuts; it emanates genuine care for its community. Showtime embodies this spirit through his commitment to mentoring the youth in the area. He views his vocation as a Barber as an opportunity to positively impact young lives. "Once I felt more grounded in my own journey of life,” he said, “I knew I had to be there for these kids. So, I do my part from behind the chair."

Nestled in the corner, a guitarist strums his strings, filling the space with soulful melodies. Each barber, diligently tending to their customer, effortlessly strikes a balance between their craft and friendly banter. The harmonious blend of clippers, laughter, and music weave together to form a warm scene; this place is more than just a barbershop.

Engaging in further conversation, I discover that all of the barbers have deep roots in the neighborhood. Their strong connection to the community fuels their passion for Big Mike's Barbershop, transforming it into a cherished second home for the people of Duncanville and its surrounding area.

But who is Big Mike, after all? And how did this special place come to be?

To find out more, we spoke to a few of the people who knew him best. I’m excited to introduce you to a few of the mainstays and owners of Big Mike’s Barbershop.

Meet the Barbers

Meet Anthony (Ant-Live) Gordon

When I asked him if this was a normal day at the shop, Ant-Live responded with a smile: “I make sure there’s always good music playing in the space.” Ant-Live is a musician and Fashion Expert. He was born into it – his father and mother were a pastor couple in the church. He grew up around music….His father loved the temptations, James Brown. This was his introduction to music.

One day while his dad was at work, his mom was watching the boys goof off (he has several brothers) and when they started to sing, she decided to hit ‘record’ on the eight-track. “She said, ‘Oh, these boys can sing for real!’” he said laughing. And sure enough when his dad heard the tape later that night, he decided they were going to put a group together.

They started practicing every day when he was five years old, him and his five brothers. They grew up in Oak Cliff, near Kings Highway.

He started to cut everybody's hair at home to save some money – he was just seven years old. “I cut everyone’s hair right there in my mother’s bathroom,” he said. He was keeping up his own grooming and continuing to learn how to draw when it hit him: He could combine both in the art of haircutting.

When he finished the 12th grade, he immediately walked to Larry's Barber College and enrolled – it was only a few blocks from the house. It was there he met Showtime who, though he didn’t know it at the time, would later become his good friend and business partner.

Ant-Live kept pursuing his interest in fashion and despite the twists and turns of business and his own career path, he always came back to the barber’s chair.

“We hit it off right away…and we’ve been laughing and joking ever since.”

— Ant-Live

One day while helping a client, he overheard some news about a guy named Big Mike who was opening up a new barbershop in Duncanville. Ant-Live was looking to transition out of his current space in Cockrell Hill so his ears perked up. But what really sold him was Big Mike’s shoe store next door. At the time, Big Mike had formed strong relationships with the reps of all the major shoe brands – Nike, Air Jordans, Adidas, etc. He was getting access to the best shoes right when they were being released. So Ant-live visited and, lo and behold ran into his old acquaintance Showtime. Turns out, that first visit would be when he met his long-time friend Tyson too. “We hit it off right away…and we’ve been laughing and joking ever since,” he said.

Meet Showtime

Much like Ant-Live, he began his barbering journey at a young age. “I started on my own head at age 13, messing it up on a regular basis, trying to get it right,” he said. Before long, he was cutting everyone’s hair on the football and basketball teams.

Despite trying different jobs out after high school, he also gravitated back to his passion for hair.

He worked for the city, tried his hand at modular furniture, and a number of other professions. “I had the best jobs out there,” he said. “But I kept losing them. It was like God was saying, ‘I gave you a gift; go use that gift.” After going to barber school, Showtime heard about the opportunity to join Big Mike’s shop and jumped at it.

Showtime was one of the first barbers to arrive at Big Mike’s shop in 2003. Showtime described Big Mike as a cool, larger-than-life guy who treated the barbers like family. He was an ambitious and smart businessman. After a number of successful ventures, he launched a location out in Fort Worth too.

He would take care of the crew, treating them to nights out and covering the bill. The shoe store was doing well and so he shared the love. “We were like his little brothers,” Showtime said. They formed a close bond, which helped create the family-like atmosphere you feel in the shop today. But as the years passed, Big Mike faced serious personal struggles with alcohol and drugs, which ultimately led to his passing a little less than a decade ago.

After Big Mike’s death, Showtime and the others didn’t want to let the shop die too–it had become a staple in the community and a way of life for them. So they sat down and made an agreement with Big Mike's widow, Kendall, and her family, to take over and run the business.
When the deal was done, they knew they would keep Big Mike’s name on the building. “We keep that plaque on the wall to remind us how this all started,” he said. “We are doing our best to keep his legacy alive here.”
Under the leadership of Showtime and others, the shop has continued to thrive in Duncanville. And as we mentioned earlier, Showtime's commitment to the younger generation is particularly evident. He acts as a mentor to many and does his best to inspire the youth that visit the shop to make positive life choices.

He remembers well what it was like to grow up in a single-parent home and the trouble that he easily found himself in. “I’ve been young before myself,” he said smiling. He’s seen generations of kids pass through the shop – from the time they were first coming in at a young age, to going off to school and the military, and now coming back home and having their own kids. “Now I have my own kids, boys, that I hope will maybe one day take this over.”

Meet Tyson

Tyson was born in Kansas City but moved to Dallas when he was 10. At age 13, much like Showtime, he began cutting hair. Before joining Big Mike's Barbershop, Tyson had actually owned a shop with a few other business partners. That venture, unfortunately, didn’t work out. But years later, when the opportunity to own part of Big Mike’s shop surfaced, he was able to contribute some wisdom and lessons learned through the process.

In the early 2000s, one of Tyson’s clients referred him to Big Mike. It was there he first met Showtime. “At the time, his name was Toronto,” he said with a laugh. They immediately hit it off, especially once Ant-live joined a few months later. Little did he know that would be the beginning of a 20-year journey with these new friends.

Tyson’s dad cut his hair as kid so he didn’t have much experience in a barbershop growing up. “I probably only went to a barbershop twice in my lifetime outside of Barber College,” he said. When his dad was traveling for work one week, Tyson asked his brother to cut his hair. When his brother didn’t feel like he was ready to do it, Tyson went ahead and tried cutting his own hair. Not long after that, as he was getting good at it, his brothers came back to him and began asking him to cut their hair.

“I knew I didn’t want to work for anyone else,” he said, as he explained how he became a barber. He remembered as an 8-year old watching his parents work really hard to support their family. Ever since then, he’s had an entrepreneurial spark that’s guided him. And since he didn’t feel like university life was for him, he went to barber college.

Tyson remembers Big Mike fondly. “Knowing that man was a blessing in itself…he took my own kids in like they were his own,” he said. What’s stuck with Tyson the most is the way he treated people. He would randomly pay for people’s haircuts – his generosity seemed boundless. He was also fun-loving, joining in the singing and dancing that broke out in the barbershop from time to time. He remembers too how Nike reps would come by the shop and, because of the Big Mike connection, give them first dibs on the newest shoes before they were even released.
Laughter has always been a central part of the shop. “You’re getting a free comedy show 2-3 times a week in this shop,” he said. “You could $70-100 for a show or you could just come sit in the shop and laugh until you cried.” To this day, you’ll still hear the laughter of friends echoing through the room because, at the end of it all, these are close friends working together.

Tyson told me that working at the barbershop not only gave him the opportunity to grow as a professional but also as a person. When he first arrived, he admits that he was still inexperienced and had a lot to learn. However, the environment and the people around him, like Big Mike and his colleagues, helped him mature and develop both as a barber and as a man. He’s passing that on to every person he meets.