By Timothy Giang ’26
What started as an unfulfilled interest turning into a proud venture, Yassel Sanchez ’26, or Teddy Blendz, has become known around the campus for his fresh haircuts.
It started for Teddy—Teddy a nickname from his friends—in the basement of O’Donnell in October of 2023. Yassel was a sophomore with a plan. With the help of Mr. Foley, some friends, and some clippers, Yassel started his barber venture in those unglamorous halls of OD, giving haircuts to fellow Bellarmine students for free. Despite the challenges that come with cutting hair in a small corridor of O’Donnell Basement after school days, this early work was impactful for Yassel in getting him the experience he needed to start cutting hair more seriously.
“I needed practice somewhere some form, but I didn’t have the people to practice on, so at first I just started offering free haircuts”
As he became more experienced with cutting his friends’ hair, word around the campus spread about his haircutting services. Eventually, this news came to the Deans and Yassel’s business in O’Donnell was shut down. However, those experiences in the basement would prove greatly helpful for Yassel as it not only provided him with experience but also created a very loyal customer base made of his very own friends from Bellarmine.
Leaving O’Donnell basement, Yassel’s business would only get more busy. Now taking clients at his home, he began growing his business more widely. With a vibrant social media presence and loyal clients, Yassel’s business was gaining the momentum to become something great. Of course Bells who had been cut up by him were returning to him, but then an increasing number of clients showed up to his chair and he saw friends and students from different schools coming to him. At the same time, he started promoting his services on social media and these posts and reels showing a client’s impressively done hair transformation only further grew buzz around the Teddy Blendz name.
With appointments becoming weekly, Teddy’s schedule became jampacked as he had to also balance this with his other commitments like school, extracurriculars, and work. Despite the workload, he’s been able to manage and keep his barber work consistent, promising to make time for his clients every week.
If you know Yassel, it is blatantly clear that his passion for cutting hair is authentic. Although starting this venture as a means to make money, he would start liking cutting hair because he was able to set his own schedule and a passion quickly grew for cutting hair for people: “I ended up liking it. I just enjoyed cutting hair.”
So as more people came in needing cuts, Yassel began really liking this pursuit, which gives insight into the future. When asked about what the future held for him, he emphasized going to college firstly, but plans to also attend barber school before college so that he can immediately work at barber shops out of high school. With education and experience under his belt, he hopes to open a barber shop one day and truly be able to be flexible and get to foster his own community.
So, you might be asking yourself, “Should I go to Teddy?” To that, Yassel makes clear that he will gladly take any hair types and accomodate to the needs of his clients. He can do tapers, fades, and overall elevate a client’s look, all in the process of creating a great experience.
“I focus on making sure whoever sits on my chair feels welcome and gets a good service. I always try to have a conversation and have good vibes”
His welcoming and kind demeanor, along with outstanding cuts and styles are major reasons why you should consider contacting Teddy Blendz. If you are looking for a non-stress time at the barber, he’s your guy. If you are looking for a friend to cut you up, he’s your guy. Yassel started cutting hair not just for the fun of it, but sincerely to make his clients get the haircut they deserve, and this is evident through all the work he has been putting in since those early days for him in O’Donnell.
Around Bellarmine, you will be sure to hear that name—Teddy Blendz. Yassel’s services have racked up a reputation of clean haircuts and helping his clients express their interest. Yassel will surely succeed and you can still catch him for a service before next year when he graduates and makes big leaps in his aspirations.