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DENVER (KDVR) -- After serving time in prison, reintegrating into everyday life can be a challenge.
A recently opened Denver barbershop is giving formerly incarcerated individuals a second chance by not only employing them after their release but also offering training and apprenticeship.
Inside R&R Headlabs, as the hair hits the floor, you can find customers sitting in a chair telling their stories.
Barber James Canody finds beauty in telling his own story.
“Three years, I started while I was incarcerated," Canody said.
After spending six and a half years on an 18-year sentence, Canody is one of seven employees who hope this second chance shows society that he belongs here.
"I know there are certain things that can’t be changed, but then again there’s a lot of things that can be," he said. “Just knowing I came from a place where it’s hard to see outside of what you’re dealing with. So, I just feel very grateful.”
It's an opportunity he wasn't sure he would get.
“That's something that a lot of people like myself have a lot of qualms with is when we get out, we don’t feel like the opportunity is going to be there for us. I didn’t know this place would be available I didn’t know there was anything like this that existed,” he said.
“It is so gratifying and I learn about myself I want to work somewhere with a higher purpose," founder and CEO James Repenning said
He found inspiration when he was in his twenties.
“In 1997, I was a manager at a recycling company and I was hiring for an equipment operator. I hired a guy named Angelo. All I knew about him was that he showed up early and he came from a halfway house," Repenning said. "I interviewed him, my wife liked him, my dog was there and my dog liked him. He was great. The next day, I called him and said 'Angelo, we want to hire you. ' He said 'Wait, before you do that, I think you need to know something about me. I murdered my best friend in a drug deal when I was 18.'
Repenning said he had never heard anything like that before.
"Because I already listened to him and heard he was a great guy, I didn’t really have a problem with it," Repenning said.
That's when he knew he had an eye-opening moment.
“So really that was my first experience like there’s this whole pool of people that even I wasn’t looking at I wasn’t considering, and he opened my eyes to the possibility and it felt great to put someone on their feet and help them," said Repenning.
It was that same grace that operations manager Deborah Ramirez is grateful for.
“In 2004 I was incarcerated. I was incarcerated from 2004 to 2009 at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility," she said.
Years later she would meet Repenning, who offered her a second chance.
"It just pulled and pulled at my heartstrings, and I knew this was the position for me because I always wanted to give back to people who were in prison. I've always wanted to be that person who gave people hope. We all make mistakes, we just don't all get caught," said Ramirez.
She and Repenning visits prison to give hope and recruit others.
"We have people on the waiting list from prison to be interviewed," she said. "So many people put the blinders on and say 'Oh no, felon, no felon, nope.' And felons are the most loyal most honest people when they get their life right. I'm more than a number and that's what I want these guys to know, guys and women, they can absolutely do better and choose better.”
R&R Labs is located at 2260 E. Colfax Ave. The shop has been open for 11 weeks now. They even have a one-of-a-kind custom shampoo and conditioner maker to cater to each customer.
Those interested can find more information or book an appointment online.
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