Businesses continue to change and evolve in the village of Brockport every single day. One business that is changing and evolving is Silvano’s Barbershop on Main Street. Owner Silvano Bullo is passing his clippers to Carlitos Lopez, who will rename the shop Barber Republic. In addition to inheriting the business, Lopez inherits the energy and family feeling of Bullo’s legacy.  

Shianna Brison has been working at the shop since 2019 enjoys the energy and feeling in the shop.

“We try to make it fun. We definitely have a good time in here. We like to be family oriented, but also just having a good time. We like to make everyone feel welcome. We try to service everybody that comes in here, just making everyone feel comfortable and welcome and have fun — Let loose.”

Lopez, originally from Puerto Rico, has been cutting hair since he was 13 years old and came to the U.S. to create a better life for himself. He made his way to Rochester and eventually Hamlin in 2015. While dropping off his kids at school one day the shop caught his eye. He went in to talk to Bullo and two weeks later he started working there.   

Lopez’s dedication to the shop over the years allowed Bullo to put the utmost trust in him and after a decade of service and Bullo deciding to take a step back, he allowed Lopez to run the business under the Silvano name. Now two years on from that moment, Bullo has legally given his business to Lopez who plans on continuing the legacy of his predecessor.   

Over the past two years that Lopez has been running the shop, he has made it his own, bringing in his own barber staff and renovating the shop to his liking. He also has done some of his own cultural renovations, bringing in a big Hispanic presence to the barbershop with Spanish music always playing in the shop and introducing bilingual staff members. He has instilled a feeling of family within his team of barbers that radiates off to his customers as they enter the shop.  

“You can go with your girlfriend, with your kids, comfortably, you don’t feel like you’re afraid of something going to happen, or people talking badly. Something for everyone can go – Familial,” Lopez said.   

Lopez’s team of barbers are Xavier Silva, Shianna Brison, and Maciel Gomez. Brison has seen the design and atmosphere of the shop change over her time there. 

“We have added lights, paint, and definitely changed the appearance quite a lot. We have had a lot of barbers come and go. I will say that we have the best crew that we have ever had, that I have experienced. Everyone works together. We are a family here, and everyone does a great job. Everyone is very skilled,” Brison said.    

Brison and Lopez also stressed the importance of the bilingual element the shop offers to customers.   

“I think it’s extremely important, it expands our clientele again making them feel more comfortable in here. They can speak their own language without having to pull up google translate and try and express what they want. It’s a lot easier to have the same speaking people here, because it just makes them feel more at home, a lot more comfortable,” Brison said.  

“If you search for every single barber shop in Brockport, no one speaks Spanish. So, I think being a bilingual barber shop is important too,” Lopez said.  

SUNY Brockport senior Nick Cepeda has been going to Silvano’s for the past two years. Cepeda was happy to find Lopez as he is also of Latin American descent being both Dominican, Mexican, and bilingual. With Lopez and Silva being able to speak Spanish, the shop resonates deeply with him.  

“I come from a Spanish speaking household in an area where there is a lot of Spanish speaking people, but I am hours away from home so walking in the shop takes me right back to everything I am familiar with for an hour,” Cepeda said.   

The atmosphere and Lopez’s barber skills kept Cepeda coming back.

“Yea, I’ve gone to a couple different barber shops my freshman and sophomore year. Places near school, but none of them have the vibe and were as good at cutting hair as Carlitos,” said Cepeda.   

Lopez will be designing his own uniforms and barber capes with a logo of Barber Republic on them. He will also be changing the sign outside of the shop along with other aspects inside the shop that still read Silvano’s.   

Barber Republic will be a fresh new asset to Brockport’s downtown that looks to bring more diversity into a community that continues to grow. It represents the great opportunities that Brockport can offer to those coming from far away. Lopez epitomizes the quintessential American Dream where hard work and dedication can take you from barber to business owner.