Meet The Experts
Master Barber
Joell Peralta
Joell Peralta was born and raised in the Dominican Republic raised by his grandparents, he spent most of his teenage years in Astoria queens. At the age of 12 he started giving his friends shape-ups & became a barber at the Age of 20. For love of the art of cutting hair. He’s now been cutting hair for over 12 Years. Some of his other hobbies include directing & editing music videos, commercials, content for social media & photography.
Lesley
Originating from Mexico, she developed a passion for barbering by her mother’s love of cutting hair. Guiding her through a journey of love and patience that has led her to where she’s at today. One of Lesley’s hobbies lies in the pursuit of knowledge, always willing to learn more! The barbershop is her happy place.
Jorge
Jorge was born and raised in Corona Queens, New York, to Ecuadorian parents. As a child, he loved going to the barbershop and asking questions about cutting, and he was intrigued by the entire culture of barbering. During his teenage years, he watched haircut tutorials by barbers on Instagram and YouTube even though he didn’t cut hair yet. He decided to attend barbering school in his early 20s, which is when he realized he’d found his calling. Health and fitness play a significant role in his life, and he enjoys lifting weights.
Johan
Johan was born and brought up in Bogota, the capital of Columbia. He forayed into the world of barbering through a friend’s barbershop in Columbia. He’d often go to this shop after school to get a trim and would stay back because he really liked the environment. He asked his friend to teach him, and the friend willingly obliged. Since then, Johan’s spent six years barbering, three in Columbia followed by three in New York. He enjoys playing soccer in his free time. He also likes playing video games and streaming music.
Luis
Born to Colombian immigrants in 1990, Luis spent his childhood in Jackson Heights, Queens. He moved to Florida when he was 14 years old and returned to New York after he turned 17. At the age of 31, he decided to head back to Florida, where he became a full-time entrepreneur. He has dedicated his energies to growing the Well Kept brand since then.
Luis started barbering in Florida during his teenage years because finding barbers down south was not easy. When he moved back to NYC, his childhood barber gave him his first opportunity to cut hair in a barbershop. When he’s not at work, he spends time studying, playing video games, and keeping fit.
Ruben
Ruben was born and raised by Colombian parents in Queens, and he spent most of his childhood in Astoria. He was 13 to 14 years old when he started doing his own line-ups with a razor blade. This was because his parents couldn’t afford to take him to the barbershop every week. Growing up with two brothers, he would practice on them too. Ever since then, he’s just kept going.
He’s worked as a barber for more than 20 years, and loves the fact that he was able to open the Well Kept Barbershop in Astoria, a place where he grew up. He views this as a blessing and says he wouldn’t trade it for the world.
As someone closely connected to art, Ruben went to the High School of Art and Design and studied architecture at City Tech. This, he feels, helped channelize his creativity when designing the layout and interiors of the barbershop. He says that creating his own design and bringing it to life gives him immense satisfaction.
Alex
Alex was born and raised in Hudson Valley, around an hour north of NYC. He became interested in barbering through his mother, who owned a barbershop in the town where they lived. He wanted to learn barbering after having to cut his own hair in college and eventually began by watching her. Other than barbering, he enjoys photography, sports, video games, and going out with his family.
Romelo
Romelo was born and raised in Astoria Queens. His father, an owner of two barbershops in Astoria, introduced him to the world of barbering. Romelo spent considerable time at the shops as a kid. As he grew older and needed a new path, he felt barbering was just right. He has been a big anime fan since childhood, and also loves taking road trips with his family.