BALTIMORE — Basim Shannon has had a rough year. The owner of PHD Salon barbershop at 216 Main St. in Laurel, Md., had to close his shop in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. When Shannon was able to reopen his doors in July, he was the sole employee, as his staff did not return for various reasons during the shutdown.
Then, on Aug. 11, Shannon was in a motorcycle accident that injured his right hand and leg. His beloved shop of 15 years has been closed ever since.
On a recent Friday morning, however, Shannon was all smiles.
Thanks to the generosity of a former customer, the barbershop (the PHD stands for "professional hair doctor") is getting a complete makeover, free of charge, during Shannon's recovery. After unlocking the door on the morning of Oct. 30 for the demolition crew and going to physical therapy, Shannon returned to find his shop completely gutted and ready for a fresh start.
"This is a blessing," said Shannon, 60. "It definitely caught me off guard."
For Kenny Lawal, the former Laurel resident who used to come to Shannon's shop, the decision to help Shannon was obvious. The question was how.
"He gives free haircuts to students, and has a barbecue before school starts," Lawal said. "What can I do for a guy like that?"
As president of Granite Outlet Kitchen & Bath Design Studio, a home improvement store in Lutherville-Timonium, Lawal decided to help by renovating the barbershop.
"We've never done anything like this before. It is like a home improvement show," Lawal said. "I called a lot of workers. We all pitched in."
Everything from supplies — including flooring, cabinets and countertops — to the time for the design, demolition and installation was donated, Lawal said. Work began on Oct. 30 and Lawal hopes to have things wrapped up by the end of November so Shannon can open before the holidays.
"It gets rough before it gets pretty," Lawal said. "It was supposed to be a surprise ... but we were unable to pull that off."
"It was hard for me to keep it secret," said CeCe Shannon, Basim Shannon's wife. "He drives past for therapy and has to get the mail."
Shannon is working hard at his physical therapy so he can be physically ready to go back to work when the renovations are complete. He no longer has to have a cast or boot and the swelling in his hand has gone down.
"I am hoping everything will be ready to go the week before Thanksgiving," Shannon said. "Fingers crossed. Thanksgiving and Christmas, that is the nice big rush. That is prime time."
Many of his clientele returned when he reopened in July, and he is confident they will return again to see the renovated shop.
"I am very, very excited he wanted to do this and had the people to do it," Shannon said of Lawal. "For me, being on Main Street, on the corner, I get a lot of visibility."
Shannon, a native New Yorker, and CeCe, who is originally from Virginia, moved to Laurel in 2001 to raise their family after visiting the area for a wedding. Shannon first worked for another hair salon before learning about the shop on Main Street.
"It was time for me to get my own location," Shannon said.
He has hosted free haircuts for students before the beginning of the school year for the past 10 years and has hosted customer appreciation days during Laurel's Main Street Festival.
"He loves this shop," CeCe said. "He has healed good for his age. He has come a long, long way."
Lawal is hoping the renovations attract new clientele to Shannon's shop.
"You can see how dilapidated it was," Lawal said, noting the scuffed, worn floor. "I've been very fortunate and was deemed an essential business. Hopefully more clientele will come in."
