3-minute read
Angel Maldonado began cutting hair when he was 11. For many years, he dreamed of opening a barbershop in Puerto Rico. But to his surprise, his barbering business has become a hit in Lakeland instead.
Hurricane Maria led Maldonado to relocate his family to Florida and to open his first barber shop in Lakeland in 2021.
The 34-year-old Eagle Lake resident now owns two barbershops and just celebrated the grand opening of High Class Academy, a beauty school, on June 23 with the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce.
The beauty school is located in Mulberry at 5925 Imperial Parkway, Ste 108. It offers barber, cosmetology, nail, and esthetician course work. It is currently enrolling students.
Meet the owner: Angel Maldonado grew up in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The father of three and his wife, Enidza Santiago, initially moved to Kissimmee, Florida, in 2017, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Relatives connected Maldonado to Fire Styles Barbershop in Lakeland a few months after their arrival and the family moved to Lakeland in November.
“We fell in love with the city quickly,” said Maldonado, adding that he is a licensed barber and his wife is a licensed cosmetologist.
Growing up, Maldonado said his little brother was his first client. He began taking hair cutting courses when he was 15, and worked part-time in a salon. After he graduated from high school, he dropped out of college to join the U. S. Army, he said. Throughout this time, he grew his clientele as a barber.
He opened his first barbershop in Lakeland’s Dixieland neighborhood in 2021, High Class Barber Salon, and another in 2023, on Lakeland Highlands Road, High Class Barbershop & Academy. His High Class Barber Salon won “The Lakelander Choice Awards” for the best barbershop in Lakeland in 2024, as well as second place for best salon that same year.
The couple said a phone call connected them to the opportunity to open the new High Class Academy and it was an offer they couldn’t refuse. The location used to house Toni’s Academy, which has a current beauty school license. Maldonado said they are merging the schools and in the process of transferring the state license to the new name.
“My wife, Enidza, loved the location and saw a bright future in it,” explained Maldonado. “We’ve seen a lot of outdated programs that beauty schools offer for a premium price, but students come out more lost than when they entered. We focus on providing quality, updated education, and way better tuition prices (than) anyone can compare.”
The academy’s offerings: Maldonado said the school will teach real-world skills and modern techniques, such as the butterfly cut, Italian beards and gel tips. The courses range in length from three to 12 months and prices vary depending on the program, with the least expensive starting at around $2,500, Maldonado said.
“We’re not only focused on their specific fields of training, (but) we also prepare them to manage (a) business. We touch base with financial planning so they also work on their financial (literacy),” Maldonado explained.
The academy will also offer seminars from locs and braiding experts at least twice a year, he said.
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