This past Sunday, February 16, has been a very serendipitous day as I thumb through old programs housing photos of many of the elders in Rockdale who have been long gone. I am reminded of the strong supportive community and many families who lived across the tracks at one time.
Before Rockdale was a town, my great-great-grandfather, Paul Moultry was the first blacksmith, running his business from the main section of town where the old Kay Theatre now sits. He was followed by Mr. Jack Shields, another blacksmith and businessman near Main Street and my great-grandfather, Julius Moultry at the corner where the old lumber yard and railroad museum sat. While there have been many black owned businesses in town, these were the only black-owned businesses that have been on Main or the vicinity until now.
On the same property where the Julius Moultry Blacksmith Shop sat, two young men, over three decades later, forged their path as entrepreneurs in Rockdale, cementing their own names in Rockdale’s history.
Brothers, Charles and Chris Miles, owners of Miles Styles Barbershop, practice their age-old craft on Hwy 79, Main Street, across from The 1895 Historical building. Since 2008, these brothers have provided service to the Rockdale community and surrounding towns. The brothers are Rockdale natives and graduates of RHS.
Little did their mom, Frances Anderson Miles know, that she planted a seed in her youngest son, Chris by giving him a homemade haircut. Chris remembers that he was in the third grade when his mom cut his hair into a rough flat top. Without money for haircuts, home was the place those styles began. That year, 1993, Chris got an idea about being a barber. He describes the moment as a bright light shining in the car letting him know that being a barber was probably a good and respectable career. Charles calls the haircuts chili bowls and they both laugh at the memory. Determined to do away with hair by Mom, the boys began experimenting with the clippers that were housed under the bathroom sink. They played around with cutting each other’s hair, and eventually friends and neighbors. Chris remembers that as he got older, an edge up cost him more than a full haircut and he knew that he would not be able to pay that much.
Chris finally decided to pursue the craft in 2001 or 2002. Meanwhile, Charles started playing basketball for McMurray State after high school. Chris was living in Temple and attending barber college. When Charles saw Chris out on his own and making money at GN’s barber shop, he decided to join him.
Charles, the oldest, talks about his journey beside his brother. Their father died when Charles was four and Chris was one. Growing up without a father or male mentors, the boys looked to men in the community as examples and role models.
After barber college, they worked together at a barbershop in Temple. The pair very quickly figured out that if they were to pay $800 per month in booth rent, to someone else, they could open their own shop in Rockdale. As a result, Miles Styles Barbershop was born.
That first shop was built out of the hay barn that once belonged to my family as Moultry’s Blacksmith Shop. They reminisced about Donny Cooper from DC Construction helping them turn the hay barn into a barber shop, placing sheetrock, restrooms, etc. for their first business.
When discussing the motivation behind becoming entrepreneurs, Charles indicates that his wife Camille, and six children are his motivation. As a business owner, he is able to be where he wants to be and do what he wants to do to support his family. He wanted to have a profession where he could always be present for his kids in a way that was not available to him, coming from a single parent household.
Chris says he grew up wanting to be his big brother’s Robin. Now, he says, he follows God’s path for himself. On earth, Pastor Dennis Brooks is a prominent role model for him. His wife Janna and their two children are his biggest supporters.
Charles cites Shorty Mitchell, a prominent community activist and businessman from Taylor as one of his mentors. Shorty, he says exhibits how to be a good family man and be a contributor to the community. They have also had similar life paths. Percy Gipson, deceased, was also a successful retired military and LSU professor who mentored him along the way. He names other Rockdale family men as examples he strives to follow.
The Miles brothers’ history in Rockdale is like so many others. Walking all over town, land line phones, basketball meet up spots and church. They got haircuts by shade tree barbers (unlicensed) and turned it into a way to make money in their early years. As for history, Charles and Chris say that barbering was one of the few Black owned businesses that they witnessed growing up. The atmosphere was always one of fun and mentoring. They indicate that they grew up poor and not having things in Rockdale but were able to witness what it was like to have a better life. If they had not seen it from friends and others, they would not have been able to dream of more for their families.
Now, seventeen years later, the Miles own the building on Highway 79 and see the future as very bright. Chris, who first dreamed of Miles Styles as a small boy, shares that it is an achievement that he is proud of, and working with his brother is a blessing. Their biggest challenge now is being able to service all of the people that want haircuts and hiring more barbers, the brothers said. Rockdale and the surrounding towns have been very supportive of their business, and for that, they are grateful.
Today, Chris says his motivation is to create generational wealth so that his great great-grandchildren will have a good start. This keeps him working and planning. He says, “You can do anything you want to do if you are disciplined enough to do it.”
As for Charles, he says that you can dream but you also have to take the steps to get what you want. Take the necessary steps to reach your goals.” Miles Styles Barbershop has been family owned and operated for 17 years in Rockdale.
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