New Barbershop on George Street is Dream Come True for Owner

As Joseph Ciafullo was putting together a small ribbon-cutting ceremony to open True Cuts at 353 George Street on April 7, his thoughts went back to 2013.

Ten years ago he was working at a barber shop – Scissorhands – in the same location. He would often daydream about the day he would open his own shop.

Then, a few months ago, he was walking down George Street, and Ciafullo’s past came full circle.

“I thought about that when I first saw the for-rent sign on the window,” Ciafullo said. “I told my guys I was going to get that spot. I made a call and God made a way.”

For True, as his friends call him, going from an employee to the owner in the location in a span of 10 years is like a dream come true.

True Cuts has just four chairs, so there’s an intimate, mellow vibe to the latest edition of the city's vibrant downtown district.

He emphasizes the importance of the customer experience and is focused on being professional to remain, ahem, a cut above other barber shops.

“I want people to feel comfortable, accepted walking in,” Ciafullo said. “They feel like our people are personable. They can expect consistent, quality haircuts and then I want them to feel like it’s time-efficient. It’s their time, so I like my clients to feel like if they have a 10 o’clock appointment, they’ll be in the chair at 10 o’clock or maybe a few minutes after.”

It’s a recipe that’s worked for Ciafullo, 39, who opened his first location on Paterson Street in 2018.

He jumped at a chance last year to move over to a space at The Yard on College Avenue, where students keep him and his staff busy during the school year.

He also has a private suite on Church Street, where he attends to higher-profile clients. For instance, the members of the Rutgers men’s basketball team come to him for haircuts.

Expanding his True Cuts brand is even more unlikely when you consider he never set out to be a barber. Construction, landscaping, sales – he did a little bit of everything before he went to work for the first time at a barber shop in August 2012.

But he saw a chance, if he worked hard, to earn a living for the rest of his life.

“I realized that being a professional, providing consistent quality, you can really get a clientele in a trade that is not going anywhere anytime soon,” Ciafullo said.

Ciafullo, who has three daughters with his wife, Aisha, plus two older children, said one of the best parts of the job is building a rapport with customers. Many have become like family over the years. One of them, an attorney, was sitting in a chair getting his hair tapered in the back one recent afternoon.

Ciafullo is taking a break from cutting hair after injuring his knee while wrestling with his son.

“I still have about six weeks of rehab,” he said, “and then I will be back cutting hair.”

Story & Photo Credit: Chuck O'Donnell