New Iberia native Marlon Lewis is not only a successful businessman, but also a leader in his community.

As the owner of Marlo’s Barber Shop, Lewis has been providing the people of New Iberia with quality haircuts for over three decades. He has also made a name for himself in the political scene, working with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and serving as the councilman for New Iberia City Council’s District 2.

Lewis, 53, employs two other barbers at his shop: Donovan Mouton, Jr and Quincy Joseph, Jr. Together, the trio can provide full-service treatment from their location on Lombard Street in the heart of New Iberia’s West End.

Lewis spoke with The Daily Iberian about his experiences as a Black business owner and his opinions on the issues facing the Black community in general and in New Iberia, specifically.

Q: How long have you been in business?

A: I’ve been a barber for 31 years. I began this business back in 1996, and I’ve been at this location for 12 years. It’ll be 13 years in August.”

Q: What made you want to start your own company?

A: Freedom. The financial freedom and being able to make your own hours and your own rules. I also had a lot of inspiration. My first inspiration came from Bill Russell and my mentor was the late Clifton Williams, owner of Cliff’s Impressive Cuts. I worked for him straight out of barbering school and watching him made me want my own shop. I wasn’t sure if I wanted my own shop, but you kind of get pushed into it as your clientele grows and things change.

I was never in competition with other barbers, I always knew that people were going to choose where they wanted to go and who they felt comfortable with. I also had uncles that were barbers, my grandfather’s brothers. One was in Lake Charles and the other was in New Orleans, so I always knew that I had barbering in my family. It’s been a joy for all 31 years. They always say that if you find a job that you like to do, and I haven’t had a hard dad in the barber shop for 31 years.

Q: What has been the biggest challenge that you’ve faced as a business owner?

A: As of late, the challenge was COVID. When you’re self-employed and you don’t have free sick days or vacation time, it’s challenging. For the most part, managing people and dealing with people hasn’t been hard because I love people. If you love people, you’re going to be successful in business, especially if you’re in the service industry. Prices have changed, hairstyles have changed, but I’m still maintaining my business. Keeping up with the youngsters is fun and I’ve probably trained six or seven barbers and many of them have their own shops now, so that is really rewarding.

Q: What is your favorite memory from your time in business?

A: My favorite memory is probably when I decided to go out on my own and I walked into city hall to get an occupational license and realized that I hadn’t thought up a name for my business. Everybody else had good names like “Classic Cuts” or “Fancy Cuts” and I got there without a name because I was so excited. The lady asked me for the name of my business and I just said “Marlon’s Barber Shop” and that was that.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

A: Save some money. Create my own retirement and insurance plan and take care of my health. The big one is to save some money.

Q: If money was no object, what other program or business would you start in Iberia Parish? Why?

A: There’s a barber school in New Iberia that is doing pretty well, but that would be the only other company I would start. I’ve been fortunate as a barber, but I’ve always wanted to give back and I’ve done that through the apprentice program. I never had any other desire, but as of late I’ve wanted to get into housing. Buying abandoned houses, remodeling them and making them safe and affordable for people to live in. As a city councilman I have learned about a lot of issues facing the community and one of them is housing. We have a lack of adequate housing and safe neighborhoods, so I would like to do that.

Q: Would you recommend business ownership/entrepreneurship to others? Why or why not?

A: Absolutely, I would 100% recommend it. I will say this, though: owning a business is not for everybody. I was very comfortable working at another person’s barbershop because I didn’t have overhead, I just had to show up, start up my clippers and say “next.” I would encourage it for the same reasons I got into it: independence. When you work for yourself, people always say you’ve got it made, but I always say that I don’t work for myself, I work for everyone that sits in my chair. If I had that mindset that I just worked for myself, I would probably be very selfish and not take care of the customer’s needs.

Q: What does Black History Month mean to you?

A: It means empowerment and it is a reminder of how far we’ve come. The barber shop has always been a cornerstone of the civil rights movement. People like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used the barber shop as a safe place for them to meet and talk about the issues they were facing, just like the church. It reminds me of the struggles we had and the freedoms we now have to do more as African Americans.

Q: What do you consider to be the biggest challenge facing the Black community today?

A: The biggest challenge facing the Black community today is a lack of parenting. When I say that, I mean the lack of two-parent households. It’s also a lack of funding for Black businesses. Some of that is traditional, like red-lining and all of that stuff. A lot of that has been exposed, but still a lot of people don’t know about it. People don’t know how to get into business, and it isn’t hard, but staying in business is. Anybody can hang a sign, but not everybody can honor that sign. When you look at the political climate, there’s a lot of things that say to me that we’re still behind in terms of quality of life. Of course, we have this new wave of gun violence and crime, but stealing a pecan candy is still a crime, so crime isn’t the biggest issue. Gun violence is a bigger issue and it is going to change a community of people that care to put a dent in that.

Marlo’s Barber Shop is located at 734 Lombard Street.