Finding common ground from the barber chair

Rhea Dillard serves mountain community one haircut at a time

By Brit Allen, The Mountain Times

For Rhea Dillard, Welches’ Barber on the Mountain, cutting hair is the family business. And now she feels like the community and her clients on Mount Hood have become like extended family. 

“I was kind of born into this industry,” Dillard explained. “I grew up in my mother’s barber shop, and she grew up in her mother’s beauty shop, So it’s kind of in the blood.” 

Dillard is from Atlanta, Georgia, where her mother runs her shop to this day, and she made her way out to Oregon about 13 years ago — calling a few other places home along the way. 

She got her start in the cosmetology industry in skin care in the early aughts, then got her license to cut hair around 2014. She opened Barber on the Mountain in the Welches shopping plaza in June. 

“[This industry] is basically all I know,” Dillard explained. “I’m definitely a social person, too, and I love connecting with people. I’m not just a barber; I’m a conversationalist. One of my favorite things is finding that common ground, and becoming part of people’s lives.” 

On Mount Hood, Dillard has enjoyed getting to know people — whether while they’re in her chair or as neighbors — and proudly calls the mountain home. 

“I like the community up here,” she said, explaining how different it is from Portland, where she lived briefly when she first came to Oregon. “The community shows up for one another. Everybody knows everybody. I love everything it stands for.”

“I hope I’m offering a really good service to the community,” Dillard added. “I want them to come in here and have a really good experience and enjoy my company. Everybody is welcome because I’m going to find something in common with you.” 

Those who are active or former military or first responders receive a $1 discount at Barber on the Mountain.