One of Redding’s favorite barbers, Brenton Yu, works out of a barber shop called The Spot Barber Lounge. Brenton and his family have a great story to tell.
Mr. Brenton, how are you?
I’m doing great!
Okay, can you give us a snapshot of who you are and how you ended up in Shasta County?
Certainly, I was born in 1984 in Hong Kong, China, which makes me 39 years old. My parents escaped communist rule in China, so we came to the States, and I grew up here in Redding.
How old were you when you moved here?
I was nine. Yeah, I started third grade here. They taught us British English back in Hong Kong, so we knew our English pretty well. Then I went to college in SoCal, and I worked until 2008. Then I went back to China because of the economic depression here, but then I came home and started to learn how to cut hair. And it’s been six years now.
You left in 2008 and went back to Hong Kong. What was it like going from Redding to Hong Kong?
Oh, man. It was a culture shock. Everything’s so condensed there, like in New York or any other big city, and it took me a long time to get used to it.
What was the inspiration for coming back to Shasta County? Was there an actual moment in Hong Kong when you said, “Okay, that’s it, I’m done.”?
Oh, yeah. It was so crowded; I was shoulder to shoulder with everyone, and I was like, “I need to go home.” Home sweet home. I missed our quality of life here and the nature all around us.
So, what year did you come back?
I came back in 2012, and I wanted to learn a skill, something to do with my hands, and be able to travel with it.
Did you go to school?
Yeah, I attended a barber college in Sacramento and then worked at Dream Hair. I still have clients down there that I see once a month.
Do you remember your first paid haircut?
Yeah.
Were you nervous?
Very! It would take me three hours to do a cut. That’s why I still love all those clients now. They let me be a guinea pig.
Your family has a history here, too, right? Your family is known for the sailing boat restaurant, which was an extremely popular Chinese restaurant in town…
Yes, they jumped right into that when we came before in 1997. And my sister owns Sweet Spot bakery here in town.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I love to soak up everything there is to do here, including camping, hiking in the mountains, and going to the lakes. And we’re an hour from Mount Shasta, and Tahoe and Napa are right there. Everything is close by.
When people come to visit you and say, “Hey, where should we go exploring?” Where do you send them?
That’s easy; go check out Shasta Dam, the Caverns, and our Sundial Bridge.
Last crucial question: where do you suggest people go to eat?
I’m biased. Of course, there’s the Sweetspot, with the tasty ramen—also, Bartels Giant Hamburgers and Jack’s Grill, everyone’s favorite.
Thank you, Brenton.
Thank you!