High Life

HIGH LIFE #13 Oct 2017 37 R ui Carreiro is first and foremost an Azorean. The barber in him – along with his creative mind and entrepreneurial spirit – comes after that. Rui opens the door wearing an all-black ensemble, inclusive of a linen shirt, jeans and great shoes. Later he tells me I only need to look at a man’s shoes to know how good-looking he is. He has a point. The gentleman standing in front of me says he is 40 but, despite his salt and pepper hair, doesn’t look a day over 35. His shop, named after him, is a one man parade that operates only once a week. The concept sprang from a desire to create a space in which to meet friends while also giving something back to the city where he spends most of his time. “You can see that in Macau, new small businesses are popping up all around and it is good to have alternatives to what the resorts offer,” Rui explains. “It is also good for the mindset of local people. Diversity brings competition and that is healthy.” I admire the vintage barber chair that takes pride of place and he smiles. “I like my space to say something about who I am,” he says. “I had my hair cut on that chair when I was a boy. It was so important to have it here that I didn’t flinch when they told me it would cost me MOP$28,000 to ship it to Macau.” We are speaking Portuguese and as the conversation flows, Rui’s Azorean accent becomes more obvious. “I am an islander, I think all of us born there are,” he begins as I notice touches of the tiny Atlantic archipelago all around the shop. “I came to Macau seven years ago. I left everything behind and just jumped on a plane – I was in love.” He smiles at me with a glint in his eye.