St. Pete is celebrated for its fabulous weather, beautiful vistas, world class food scene, and thriving cultural atmosphere but the people of St. Pete truly make this city something special. In appreciation, each month Green Bench shines a light on one of the many people that make St. Pete unique.
As the owner/operator of Central Station Barbershop & Grooming, founder of the Barbershop Book Club (BSBC), and graduate of the Leadership St. Pete® Class of 2022, Antonio Brown has ambitious plans to continue finding ways to contribute to his community. His path to this point wasn’t always predictable or smooth, but he knows those turns and bumps helped push him toward his true purpose.
From Glory Days to Moral Crisis
As a kid, Brown ran for the local Lightning Bolts Track Club and played football at Boca Ciega High School. As a state-ranked running back with decent grades, he might have played college football, but youthful mistakes combined with minimal family guidance put an end to that dream. After his 1999 graduation, he took some local college classes, worked as a telemarketer, and infrequently parented his young son, Jaelyn. Maturity brought questions about the direction of his life. He pondered the moral dimensions of his telemarketing skills as he convinced people to part with their money. As the son of a single mom, he feared he was failing his son by not being more involved in his life. These reflections led to a choice: Be a better man and father and “the example I never had,” as he put it. Implementing that choice was the next challenge. His answer came in a dream.
A Vision for the Future
Centered on a scene from the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, the dream depicted a father and son bonding during a haircut. After Brown awoke, it was with a vision for his future. As a Black man, he understood the vital role that barbershops play in African-American communities. As a barber, he could be his own boss. In addition, he could “create and innovate for the purpose of helping people,” especially BIPOC youth. He entered and completed an 18-month program to become a master barber. At the same time, he began to do the work to strengthen his relationship with his young son. By the early 2000s, Brown had realized his immediate goals. He was working as a barber, saving to start his own business, and becoming a constant presence in his son’s life.
A Vision Realized
In 2015, Brown opened Central Station Barbershop & Grooming. Many of his young clients would “grow up in his chair,” he knew, and he wanted to create a positive atmosphere for them. Aware of the link between reading and grades, he began to offer free haircuts in exchange for reading out loud while in his chair, with the hopes of “creating a lifelong passion for reading.” In 2016, he established the BSBC. Providing free books and haircuts to youngsters from kindergarten through 12th grade, Brown hoped to inspire them with culturally relevant books “about people who look like them.” Since then, he has continued to innovate by cultivating partnerships with supportive organizations and local book providers (especially Cultured Books and Tombolo) to widen the scope of his literacy projects. Learn more about this exciting and expanding future at www.barbershopbookclub.org or visit Brown and his son, soon-to-be master barber Jaelyn Brown, at the place where it all began at 2325 Central Avenue.
