This is part of WTOP’s continuing coverage of people making a difference in our community, reported by Stephanie Gaines-Bryant. Read more of that coverage.
Important conversations will be taking place around the U.S. following Tuesday’s ABC News presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. And some of the most heartfelt discussions will happen at Black-owned barbershops.
One of those barbershops is “Tight N Up” in Bowie, Maryland, which owner Clinton Truesdale called “a pillar of the community.” The Prince George’s County native said it is a safe space for many African Americans because, “You see yourself and you see a business that is operating, that looks like you and that supports you, and that serves you.”
Truesdale has been in business for 24 years. He has three Tight N Up locations, two in Bowie and one in Crofton — all run by his family.
Truesdale told WTOP that he decided to become a barber as a child. He laughed as he recalled that he decided to go into cutting hair “when I was getting the home haircuts from my dad, who was not a barber.”
Truesdale said he noticed that his haircuts didn’t look like the other kid’s haircuts. He also said he wanted to go into business for himself — just like his father.
He said he has passed on the trade to his two sons and “we have been fortunate enough to really apprentice a lot of barbers.”
Truesdale said that over the last two decades, his business has been hit with many challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You always have to reposition and reinvest in the business and in the people in your community,” he said, adding that he has an extensive family that he’s partnered with over the years.
Truesdale said being in the barbering business and working with the community inspired him to run for political office. He was appointed to serve on the Bowie City Council in February of 2023 and was reelected to a four-year term later that November.
He said the Bowie Tight N Up location at 15708 Mount Oak Road is gearing up for its annual Customer Appreciation Day in October. Last year’s community-oriented day was chock full of fun for the whole family with everything from opportunities to network to face painting and food trucks.
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