Bankstown Barber Salon a family affair
If you want to know what a great family business looks like, you can’t go past the Kandakjis, who run the 41-year-old Bankstown Barber Salon.
The Express
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If you want to know what a great family business looks like, you can’t go past the Kandakjis, who run the 41-year-old Bankstown Barber Salon.
Kamil Kandakji, the 79-year-old family patriarch, arrived in Australia from Lebanon in 1976. That same year he walked into the barber shop in Restwell Parade, Bankstown, and asked the owner if he wanted to sell it.
“He bought the business and there was only one chair — we were in an arcade,” his son Abdul said. “He started off and he taught me and my younger brother Brian — he’s got a shop in Rose Bay now, he cuts the Prime Minister’s (Malcolm Turnbull) hair. He also taught my brother Alan — he’s got one (a shop) in Revesby.”
Abdul, 47, who now runs Bankstown Barber Salon, said he moved from the original shop to their current premises in Kitchener Parade two years ago when the landlord sold the building.
He taught his three sons, Bill, 22, Sam, 21 and Kanga, 18, how to cut hair and they all work together in the shop. The family all live together in Denham Court.
Abdul said there was never any doubt the boys would become barbers — they got involved aged 12 or 13.
“They always wanted it, ever since they were kids they used to come in ... grabbing the broom and sweeping the floors. A lot of the customers gave them a go — said ‘cut my hair’ and they enjoyed it and carried on.”
The barber salon had generations of families coming in for their regular haircuts, some from as far as Cherrybrook. “The parents have introduced the kids to the shop and now the kids are introducing their kids to the shop,” Abdul said.
He said he loved working with his sons and he hoped they would carry on the family business.
“It’s any parents dream to have their kids working with them and I feel I’m in heaven with my kids beside me.”
Daughter Anne has opened her own hairdressing salon, The Parlour for Hair, next door.
Abdul said it was important for people to support local businesses.
“It’s also very important for the business owner to look after the locals so they keep coming back.”
Sam said he was happy working with his family
“You’ve got to have a laugh,” he said.
SHOP SMALL
News research shows that shoppers expect small businesses to support their peers, whether through sourcing local produce or enlisting local suppliers.
And more than 60 per cent of NSW residents say they would recommend a small business to others if it supported other local businesses, according to the American Express research.
The Economy of Shopping Small: Keeping it in the Community report also found almost half (48 per cent) of businesses say collaborating with other businesses gives them a sense of supporting their local community.
On average, business owners say they have collaborated with about 4.9 other local businesses.
The report was released in support of Shop Small, a campaign dedicated to helping small businesses and their communities.
For more on details on Shop Small visit shopsmall.com.au
