Meet Will.

His uncle Carlos showed him what a good cut could do. Visits to Platinum Cuts gave him another reason to pay attention: the barbers, the music and a place where he felt at home. By his teenage years, Will wanted a shop of his own.

A set of clippers for Christmas got him started, with family members getting his first practice cuts. In high school, free haircuts counted toward his community-service hours and led to weekend work at a salon. Barbershop experience followed. His cousin Ray bought him equipment, and his family kept backing him as he learned the craft and earned clients' trust.

Will was test-driving a car when his dad called about a space for a barbershop. He went home, met the building owner and put down a deposit for a shop of his own. When the family started trading ideas for a name, his dad suggested Legends. It stuck.

Legends opened on May 8, 2009. Family, friends and customers helped it grow through word of mouth. The shop became a place for familiar faces, Saturday conversations and a good cut.

When a fire cost him his shop, Will went back to cutting in other establishments while he worked toward rebuilding. He eventually reopened Legends and later reached a goal he had carried through years of renting: owning the building that housed his business.

The setbacks changed how he approached the work. So did becoming a father. Building something lasting for his family gave the long days and hard decisions a bigger purpose.

Will wants people to walk into a clean, welcoming shop where they can relax, hear some music and join the conversation. That includes longtime regulars, first-time customers and families bringing their kids for a cut.

He carries the support he received into the way he works with his team and younger barbers. He expects them to take their careers seriously and make people feel welcome, while giving them room to learn from the people around them. His own start taught him how much that support can mean.