A barber school in Dallas shut down abruptly this week, leaving students concerned for their future and worried they could be out thousands of dollars.
Blade Craft Barber Academy, located on Main Street in Deep Ellum, announced on Monday that it would close its doors effective immediately.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Blade Craft Barber Academy as well as Steam Craft Coffeeshop, effective July 15, 2024, due to unforeseen circumstances,” the academy wrote on its website.
“We sincerely appreciate the business of so many in our community who have modeled for our students, every individual who has attended our academy over the years, and the relationship we’ve built with our entire community. We understand this closure may cause inconvenience, and we apologize for any disruption this may cause.”
The school’s founder emailed students on Monday to inform them of the sudden closure.
“This was a difficult decision but due to unforeseen circumstances, we will no longer be able to operate,” said founder Lilly Benitez in the email obtained by NBC 5 DFW. “We have secured introductions for each of you at Texas Fadez barber school…he was kind enough to offer his hospitality and honor the balance paid towards the program.”
The academy’s Instagram and Facebook pages were wiped off the Internet following the announcement.
Multiple military veterans attended the school, using the GI Bill to pay the $12,000 course tuition upfront in full. While Benitez said that students’ tuition would transfer to the Texas Fadez barber school, some still expressed disappointment in the way the situation was handled.
“People were relocating to attend this academy. They were commuting long distances to attend this academy,” Deborah Dobbs, the mother of a student at Blade Craft, told NBC 5. “I never expected it to be a place that’s just going to shut down on the students.”
“You know when you’re going under. You know when you’re in financial trouble,” Dobbs added. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”
Current students reportedly told NBC 5 that they paid Blade Craft $2,475 upfront for a set of barbering tools that they did not receive. One student apparently responded to Benitez’s email asking if they would receive their tool kit, to which Benitez allegedly replied, “We do not have access to premises.”
When NBC 5 contacted Benitez about the school’s closure, she told them that legal reasons prevented her from sharing why the school abruptly shut down.
“There are some people that are owed a refund; I communicated as soon as I knew that I would have to close my business,” Benitez said in a statement to NBC 5. “I expect to find a solution within 90 days.”
“My current focus is that the students who were currently enrolled have their hours reported to state agencies because I want every student to get credit for hours worked.”