MILWAUKEE —
As the Milwaukee Brewers take care of business on the field against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, one team member helps take care of business off the field: the team’s official barber.
Jose Perez Zamora of Bay View’s Flashy Faded Barbershop calls this job a dream come true.
“It feels like I’m dreaming awake,” Zamora said. “I remember taking field trips to the stadium when I was in third or fourth grade.”
The South Side Milwaukee native started cutting hair in his basement for friends and family at the age of 13.
Over the years, Zamora continued to develop his craft; this led to cutting hair for notable names in sports and entertainment, never forgetting the city that raised him.
“It’s always going to be home,” Zamora said. “There’s a reason why I haven’t left.”
One of his clients early on was Green Bay Packers rookie at the time, Eric Stokes.
Zamora said Stokes needed a haircut before throwing out the first pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers.
It was then the Brewers took notice of Zamora’s craft; he said the rest was history.
These days Zamora spends half his day at his barbershop before going inside American Family Field cutting hair for some of Major League Baseball’s biggest names.
First pitch comes early for Zamora when he said some days he’s tasked with squeezing in 10-15 players in one sitting.
Zamora said this is his secret sauce, a quality that doesn’t fade with quickness.
“A lot of people don’t understand,” Zamora said. “It’s not the way of my lifestyle. It’s what I produce with my hands. You know, I can be as fast as I can, and it’s still productive.”
Zamora said the barbershop’s name, “Flashy Faded,” speaks to his speed and precision, qualities that separate him in a competitive field, in addition to his positivity and work ethic.
“I’m a big believer, if you put good energy into this world, it comes right back,” Zamora said.
As for his thoughts on the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers, he said it all comes down to this team specifically.
“The one thing that I could say is they’re having fun, you know, they’re competing, but they’re having fun,” Zamora said.