‘It’s all about just following your dreams.’ Blake; Following dreams on High Street

            It’s not every day that a business is seen run by someone in their twenties, and even then it would typically be someone on the later side of the decade. In Waynesburg you can find a business run by someone who is only twenty years old. That business is Cut to the Chase. Located at 68 West High St. you can find Cut to the Chase, a barber shop run by Chase Blake. 

            “It’s all about just following your dreams.” Blake said. “You will have a lot of people go to college to chase their dreams that way, but I just decided it was not for me and decided to go to barber school and to try and make it with my own business.” 

            He has been able to do just that as his barber shop opened their doors at the end of 2022 and has been operating at full time ever since. Blake is a resident of Rogersville, Pennsylvania where he grew up and went to West Greene Junior Senior High School.

In high school Blake was involved in sports as well as he played on the basketball team during his time there. He graduated in the class of 2021, so in just a year and a half he was able to go to barber school and complete that and then open up his own business near where he grew up.

“I feel like a lot of people dream of being able to open up their own business and do it somewhere close to home as it just makes it feel that much better to be where you know people and your customers are familiar to you,” Blake said.

For some, going to Cut to the Chase will give them a familiar face to see when they walk in the door whether they went to school with Blake or were friends outside of school. 

            “It’s really cool to see someone that you graduate with and be here having this business and coming to get a haircut.” Said Jackson Machesky who played basketball and graduated with Blake. “When you see someone you grew up with being here already and being able to do what he does. It really is amazing.” Machesky said. 

            Since opening up his business Blake has been able to get a good amount of business and has been able to have full bookings on a lot of days.

“Things have definitely been going really well since opening up. I have had a lot of full booking days which is great. I feel like I have gotten lots of people that I went to school with coming in to see it and I also get a decent amount from the college with students there who live farther away needing a place to go that’s different from their typical place.” Blake said. 

            “I love being able to go to a barber shop here and getting a cut from someone who is right around the same age that I am and it’s just really cool to see someone like that thriving.” Said Daniel Collins, a student from West Greene and now at Waynesburg University. 

            Cut to the Chase is still a young business run by a young owner and it has gotten off to a great start, but it still has a long and fruitful still ahead of it.