For Kent Paulk II, a journey that began nearly 30 years ago is about to reach its pinnacle. On August 5, 2024, Blaze Barber Academy will open its doors for its first day of classes. The road that Kent has taken to get to this point has been long and at times meandering. But through it all, he has never lost sight of his goal. “This is something the Lord set me on. There are lots of talented barbers in our area but there aren’t many licensed barbers. I want to see them become professionals and bring it back to Coffee County,” he says.
Kent graduated from Coffee High School in 1996. While he was at CHS, he began cutting hair, primarily on the weekends. He says that sometimes, he would have as many as 45-50 customers each weekend while he was still in school. He planned to go to college once he graduated but his grandmother talked him into staying in Douglas. Kent enrolled in then-East Central Technical College (now Wiregrass Georgia Technical College) and received a master cosmetologist degree. He worked with someone for three years before opening Nu Me Barber Shop. The shop has moved its location several times but remains open. Today it’s located in Paulk Plaza on South Gaskin Avenue.
In 2017, an opportunity presented itself with the Department of Juvenile Justice. The youth detention center in Eastman was looking for a barber instructor as a part of its vocational curriculum at YDC facilities. Kent landed the job and each day, he teaches 30 or more kids the skills necessary to become barbers. “I love working with the kids. I want to make sure I do my part to teach them a skill and help make them productive members of society when they go back home. I know I can’t save them all but maybe I can make an impact on a few,” he says. And made an impact he has — Kent was named the 2022-2023 CTAE Teacher of the Year for the 29-facility organization.
Almost a year and a half ago, Kent decided to up the ante a bit. Instead of just teaching barbering to kids in the YDC system, he wanted to give anyone an opportunity to learn the trade. His vision was a barbering school in Douglas and Coffee County. That dream is about to become a reality; on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at noon, Kent will celebrate the opening of the Blaze Barber Academy with a ribbon cutting. Blaze Barber Academy is located at Paulk Plaza and it opens its doors for its first day of class on August 5.
Blaze will offer several different programs of study: A nine-month master barbering track, barbering 2 (six months), a crossover class for students with master cosmetology degrees who would like to become barbers. Later, Blaze will offer a barber’s instructor course.
Kent says that Blaze will be just the third private barbering school in the state; the other two are located in Statesboro and Warner Robins.
Blaze offers in-house financing for prospective students. Kent and his staff will immediately begin working towards gaining accreditation, a three-year process.
Barbering kept Kent in Douglas and provided him with a strong connection to his community. It’s also given him a pretty good income and he would love to pass on the skills of his trade to a new generation of potential barbers. “We need professional barbers who know about safety, cleanliness, and professionalism. Barbers serve the public and the ones who make the best impression are the professionals. I want to offer that to South Georgia,” he says.
Kent and his wife, Iris, have three children: Jalen Wilkerson, Tyree Paulk and Blair Paulk.