Before taking Blanche Macdonald’s Barber Course, Chris Parfitt was often told he was in the wrong profession. It always felt like he was destined for the barbershop chair.
“Back in the day, I would cut my friends’ hair. I started playing with the fade and different styles and was getting the hang of it. I was also a total hip-hop head, which hasn’t changed! I got the nickname Vanilla Ice in high school because I did my hair straight up,” he says with a laugh. “I wore my clothes backwards like Kris Kross and inside out to a high school dance! In a sea of Tragically Hip fans, I tried to do everything I could to feel the vibe in Saint John, New Brunswick.”
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“Before I took the Blanche Macdonald Barber Course, I felt like I was in a mundane rat race. I could just be living safe. But instead, I’m taking a risk, doing something different, and stepping outside the box.”
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At 21, he would make his way West from New Brunswick to Vancouver with friends. “I just loved the idea of a city by the water with forests nearby,” he recalls. In 2004, he would start a stable, 20-year career as a lab technician at the high-end facility Integral Dental Lab.
“It was going well. However, coming out of the pandemic, I saw so many people changing their lives and careers. My fiance and I were always talking about moving out of Vancouver. As a dental hygienist, she could move easily, but I couldn’t. So I started looking into alternatives.”
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Feeling the need for a change in life, Chris felt the time was ripe to pivot towards the right profession. Blanche Macdonald’s Barber Course offered the perfect opportunity to do it smoothly. The part-time program allowed him to balance his full-time job at the lab with classes on Sundays and Tuesday nights.
“It was doable, and that’s something I really love about Blanche and why I chose it. I looked into different options, but being downtown, it was right there.”
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“The Barber Course was really open, you're able to share and play and experiment. In that sense, it was a very easy course to be around. It was fun to go. It wasn't even like it was school!”
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The school’s eclectic mix of creative programs like Fashion Design and Makeup immediately appealed to Chris and the supportive learning environment was transformative. He would also have an opportunity to learn from his future employer, Everyday People Owner Scotty Muller.
“It was all really hands-on. I liked the small class size. The instructors were great. At the time, I had Sandra Perovic and Scotty. They were so good because they were teaching us in different ways. It was really open, you’re able to share and play and experiment. In that sense, it was a very easy course to be around. It was fun to go. It wasn’t even like it was school!”
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The in-class move from dummy to person presented an exhilarating time of growth. “It takes a while,” he admits. “At the start, cutting people’s hair at school was nerve-wracking. I remember clients sitting in my chair for three hours!”
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“It’s a really fun process, getting started in a creative field. I’ve always enjoyed the environment, people sitting in the waiting room, people in the chairs, listening to music.”
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Now, after two years of part-time barbering at Everyday People, Chris has found his stride.
“I’ve turned a corner. I used to dread walk-ins, worrying that I’d mess up. I’d get ahead of myself, shifting focus away from the process. Now I just remind myself there’s a rhyme and reason to all of this. I keep following the process I learned at Blanche Macdonald—timelines for fades, managing top cuts— and I know what to do.”
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This progress is fueling his passion as a barber and helping him confidently navigate a new career path.
“I love the fact that I get to feel this way at 49! Before I took the Blanche Macdonald Barber Course, I felt like I was in a mundane rat race. I could just be living safe. Because at the lab, I’m really good at what I do; there’s no room left for improvement. But instead, I’m taking a risk, doing something different, and stepping outside the box. I’ve enjoyed that test of my adaptability and grit, personally.”
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“I like the idea of finding a cool chair, making some money at it, getting to know people and growing my clientele. I'm not putting a dollar sign on it. That to me would be success.”
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With the steepest part of the learning curve scaled, Chris is loving the social aspect of barbering.
“We just chop it up…it’s so…barbershoppy,” he laughs. “It’s a really fun process, getting started in a creative field. At the dental lab, I work with the same core team everyday. At the barbershop, I’m cutting seven people in a day. That’s seven different individuals that I get to spend time with, to learn about. I’ve always enjoyed the environment, people sitting in the waiting room, people in the chairs, listening to music.”
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“I just remind myself there’s a rhyme and reason to all of this. I keep following the process I learned at Blanche Macdonald—timelines for fades, managing top cuts— and I know what to do.”
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Now that he’s found a mobile skillset and career that he can take anywhere, Chris is looking forward to living out his definition of success.
“I like the idea of finding a cool chair, making some money at it, getting to know people and growing my clientele. I’d love to find myself at a barbershop that has a bench outside the window where I could sit and talk to the locals walking down the street. And then get up, go in and cut Frank’s hair, and ask him how the family is doing. Stuff like that. I’m not putting a dollar sign on it. That to me would be success.”
