Brother, sister team up behind the chair at Sterling’s H&B House of Hair

STERLING – A pair of siblings are pushing each other to realize their dreams.

H&B House of Hair is a barbershop and beauty salon at 312 Light St. in Sterling owned by siblings Jose Hernandez and Doris Beranza. Hernandez is the shop’s barber, and Beranza handles everything from color treatments and highlights to perms, styles and haircuts.

“I always liked a good haircut, and I always wanted to be an entrepreneur,” Hernandez said. “Before this, I did a lot of hard-labor jobs. I hated it, and I knew it was never for me. After my second child, I had to sit down and think about what my future was going to be like before I kept doing the same thing over and over again.”

Hernandez has been cutting hair locally for the past five years and even spent some time refining his skills while working at Ben’s Phresh Kutz in Rock Falls before deciding to venture out on his own.

Watching her brother’s hard work and passion slowly begin to pay off inspired Beranza to chase her dreams.

“At first I went to nursing school, but then I dropped out because I knew that it wasn’t my passion,” Beranza said. “I’ve always been into clothes, hair and makeup. It gives me a happy feeling inside. So, I decided to make the jump and went to cosmetology school. He kept motivating me to finish, and then we decided to go into business together.”

Hernandez and Beranza opened H&B in May. The pair said they love building relationships with their clients and seeing the looks on their faces when they are finished.

“We get to meet a lot of people and talk with them about their careers and their life experiences and what they’re going through,” Beranza said. “It’s kind of like a therapy, where they can let everything out in the chair. I get the sense they feel like it’s a sacred place to be, and that makes me happy.”

Hernandez said they are currently operating by appointment only but have plans to expand to regular hours once he hires additional staff.

“I want this shop to be a place where newer barbers or cosmetologists can look into based on what we have to offer,” Hernandez said. “I want to help them grow. There aren’t many opportunities in a small town for that, and we’re willing to help them by sharing what we have done to get to this point.”

To make an appointment, visit the Book with Doris or J' Cutz Facebook pages, or call 815-718-2070.