Okie Carlos Ramirez

Apr. 27—Muskogee barber Carlos Ramirez is following in his aunt's footsteps.

"She cut my hair growing up," Ramirez said. "We were her guinea pigs, growing up, me, my brothers and my dad."

However, he said cutting hair as a profession never crossed his mind.

"I had never really known what I wanted to do," he said. "I kind of found barbering."

Ramirez said he worked for a while at Hamlin's El Toro and worked construction until he got tired of it.

He recalled visiting his aunt, who is a barber in Tulsa.

"She asked me to come to her job one day, see how I liked it," he said. "I'd see how much money she made in one day and I was really impressed and decided to pursue barbering after that."

He said he started classes at Virgil's Beauty College when he was 26 or 27. He went on to cut hair at Original Barbers. He and another barber, Wild Bill Waid, opened The Downtown Barbershop in November 2022.

Ramirez said he found a good location along Broadway.

"It was just something I've always wanted to do," he said. "It's always been my dream to work for myself."

He said Downtown Muskogee is "a beautiful, under-rated location."

"When you see downtown, they say it's the heart of your community," Ramirez said. "We have a great community. But, I'd still like to give downtown a little TLC."

When he's not cutting hair, Ramirez enjoys fixing old cars. He said he learns through talking to people and watching You-Tube videos.

"I'm just trying to learn to build engines more," he said. "It's a hobby — an expensive hobby, especially if you don't know what you're doing."

His current projects are a Toyota Tundra, a BMW and a Chevy.

"I'm trying to make them daily drivers," he said.

Ramirez and his family are working to start a food truck, selling Mexican food and breakfasts. He said he likes to cook a lot of things.

"Chinese food, Mexican food, pot roast, barbecue," he said. "I like to dabble in all of it."

Ramirez also enjoys taking his family fishing, something he used to do as a child.

"I grew up fishing," he said. "But, I wouldn't say I'm a bass pro."

Ramirez able to open up by barbering

Carlos Ramirez said barbering made him a better person.

"It's coming out of a shell, and learning to socialize," he said. "I was kind of nervous when I started, because I didn't really know how to cut hair. As time progressed I learned to cut hair a little better and I learned to talk to people better.

Ramirez said his favorite part of barbering is "the conversations I have with people in the chair."

"You have great conversations with people," he said. "We talk with attorneys, we talk with doctors, we talk with electricians. You get to see the aspects of everybody's job. That in turn kind of opens your mind a little bit."

It's a good way to make connections with people.

"That's one of the best advertising I work with, word of mouth," he said.

He said his biggest challenge was coming up with the money.

"Getting it all together," he said. "Buy the equipment, buy the chairs, run the electric, water."

Things are going much better now.

"We stay pretty steady," he said, adding that each day is different.

"You have your slow days, your busy days," Ramirez said. "Anywhere from 10 to 20. Each day varies."

"A great haircut is what makes you feel good when you get out here," he said. "I try to do whatever the customer wants, follow trends, continue further learning. Take classes when I can."

Food truck on the launch pad

Ramirez said he and his family are getting close to launching their Mexican food truck. All they need is to get a truck and to get it inspected.

"Hopefully we'll be ready to serve food in the Muskogee-Fort Gibson area. "We're just finishing up the water heater and then we're going to get it inspected."

He said he hopes to get the food truck rolling within the next week or two.

It will be called "Fat Boys Tacos," named for his little brother, Ramirez said.

Breakfast items could include egg burritos or breakfast tacos, he said. "Lunch could be regular tacos and other delicacies."

He said he and his mother came up with the food truck idea, "and then everybody supported it."

Ramirez said his father and mother will be the main chefs.

"She's a wonderful cook," he said.

The truck faces lots of other street taco competition. But there is a plan.

"Hopefully sell good food," Ramirez said. "We'll let the community be the judge of that."

Fishing can be all night

Ramirez enjoys fishing when he can.

His favorite place on the rocky banks below Fort Gibson Dam. He said he and his family spend a couple of hours there.

"Unless we go night fishing, then it's until 4 or 5 in the morning," he said.

Fishing at night?

"They say they bite better," Ramirez said. "A lot depends on if the river's up or not. The fish are more active, I believe."

He said the hardest part of fishing is not being able to see. So he uses a headlamp.

"You sit there and wait until the fish takes your bait," he said. "Just setting up your rods, maybe a little campfire," Ramirez said. "We just stay up the whole time, with chairs. It's an all night fishing trip."

Sometimes he's successful.

"It could be one, it could be two, it could be none," he said. "If it's a good sized catfish, within the limit, we'll eat it."

Ramirez said catfish are the easiest to catch.

"Just set up your line," he said.

Ramirez said he is getting his children, ages 10 and 5, into fishing, as well.

"They like being outside," he said. "Kids aren't outside nowadays as they used to be, at least mine aren't."

HOW DID YOU COME TO BE AN OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE?

"My family migrated here from California, and I was raised her, so it's pretty much all I've known. I was young, about 4."

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT MUSKOGEE?

"The people. You get to meet all kinds of interesting people working in this industry."

WHAT WOULD MAKE MUSKOGEE A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE?

"Muskogee needs a night life. I don't think there's anything to talk about because there isn't one. Like Main Event in Tulsa. They have bars and grills and the games for the kids. We need something like that, I think."

WHAT PERSON IN MUSKOGEE DO YOU ADMIRE MOST?

"There are a lot of people, honestly. My parents, they always seemed to never want to quit. So, Terry and I never want to quit, and all the people I've worked with. I see entrepreneurship, and that inspires me a lot. People have a dream and then making it a reality. A bunch of small businesses around, get something started."

WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE THING TO HAPPEN TO YOU IN MUSKOGEE?

"Everything. Everything's happened here. I lived here my whole life, so you name it."

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

"Work on my vehicles. Raise the kids. Sometimes that's a chore. We eat out every weekend with our family, barbecue."

HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP MUSKOGEE IN 25 WORDS OR LESS?

"Muskogee is a great place. It has a lot of potential to grow. I love it here."