Hobby turns into career: La Salle-Peru High grad opens downtown Peru barbershop

Doug Smith says becoming a barber is ‘best decision’ he’s made

La Salle-Peru High School graduate Doug Smith said back in high school he was inspired by his brother and his cousin to begin cutting hair as a hobby that he would do with his friends.

“I would always cut my friends’ hair in high school, but I didn’t really take it seriously until around 2016,” Smith said. “I was working at Wal-Mart distribution and I wasn’t liking the situation that I was in.”

Smith decided to pursue barber school to help turn what once was a childhood hobby into something he is happy to do for a living. He has been cutting hair since the beginning of 2017.

He opened Dougies Barber Shop at 1704 Fourth St. in Peru at the beginning of March.

Smith is originally from Aurora and spent most of his time growing up split between there and the Illinois Valley. Smith graduated from La Salle-Peru High School and later graduated from Larry’s Barber College in Joliet.

Smith said he is a proponent of inner peace and wanted to do what he could to be happy with his profession and find peace within.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” Smith said. “Now I’m working by myself and now everything is fine.”

Smith worked at another area barbershop after graduating from school but found himself feeling the same and needed to make a change. He decided he was going to work for himself.

“I wasn’t at peace, I was angry and with certain things I felt like I was left out, so I had to pursue it myself,” Smith said. “Honestly it was for the best. I haven’t been mad or sad; it’s just me in there and I’m just at peace.”

Smith had the opportunity to work at other barber shops but wanted to see how far he could go on his own. For Smith, opening the business had little to do with the money but rather as a way to be there and to give back to the community around him.

Working for himself was a goal he set for himself after seeing how busy other salons and barbershops were around town. In some cases making it hard to even book an appointment.

Dougies Barber Shop consists of Smith managing appointments and haircuts but he does have plans to have, hopefully, more opportunities for other barbers in the future.

Smith also hopes to get more involved in the community as he continues to move his business forward and maybe inspire someone to pursue their dreams as well.

“I want the kids around here to see that it’s not hard to do what I’ve done,” Smith said. “I drove up and down the road everyday and I became a barber and opened up my own shop. It’s not hard at all and I’ve already got a few kids that are going to barber school now so eventually they will get a chair and get going.”

Dougies Barbershop is open Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. They welcome walk-ins but appointments are preferred. Smith can be reached at 815-780-8149 or by going to the shop in downtown Peru.

The NewsTribune is committed to keeping readers up to date with business happenings in the area. This can include the opening of new businesses and businesses that are closing. Much of our reporting relies on what we see and hear, but we’re also reaching out to readers for tips on business items. If you have a tip to share, email Jayce Eustice at jeustice@shawmedia.com.