“Good day! First a cup of coffee or should we put the scissors in right away?” Hairdresser Arie Klein places two steaming cappuccinos on the bar. Scissors of cocoa float on top of the foam. These will be the last heads that Klein will make in his role as hairstylist. After almost 40 years he is putting an end to his career.
His business Creativo (‘my baby’) will continue to exist, but with a new captain at the helm.
Creativo is one of the best-known and longest-running hairdressers in Emmen. And as an entrepreneur, founder Klein is known far and wide. For a hairdresser, style means everything and if anyone knows this, it’s him. There are few hairdressers that have a real coffee bar in the middle of their business. “Hairdressing and coffee are inextricably linked,” laughs Klein. “I like hospitality and a nice atmosphere.”
You can also clearly see it in the decoration of the barbershop. There is a marble and brown wood hairdressing table with a huge mirror, which would not look out of place in a cozy cafe. There are some black leather barber chairs in front of that table. “Probably from the 1950s,” Klein estimates. The armrests still have flaps with an ashtray underneath.
Klein further points to a gold-colored and elegant chandelier on the ceiling. “That was another set piece from the German TV program Traumhochzeit by Linda de Mol.”
For years it has been a familiar setting for Klein, but that is over this month. “I currently run five businesses and it became more difficult to keep all the balls in the air. So I had to make some choices.” More time for family and friends. ” No, I’m not yet sixty. But no one knows how long someone is given. So I’m just taking a step back.
Klein knew from an early age that he wanted to go into hairdressing. His father ran a home furnishings store and for a while it seemed that he would follow in his footsteps. “But I wanted something with her and people. And my father soon saw that my heart lay elsewhere.” Arie’s father initially had little confidence in it. “You can’t make a living doing that, he said.” But he supports his son in his choice, who has now proven that he has made a good living. “Unfortunately he is no longer here, but he would certainly have been proud.”
By the way, it was not very common for men to become hairdressers, Klein remembers from that time. “Some quickly associate it with being gay. But I’ve always been able to laugh about that.”
Over the years, cutting was not only limited to Emmen. From 2006, Klein also started working for an international brand. He travels around the world to demonstrate his skills at fairs and shows. “London, Bologna, Houston, Mexico, New York and Los Angeles where and I have not been. I have seen quite a lot and I am still very grateful for that.”
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