Minnesota's youngest barbershop owner dies in California car crash
MOUNDS VIEW, Minn. — The life of one of the youngest barber shop owner in Minnesota is being remembered on Monday night during a candlelight vigil and balloon release.
Nathan Sheferaw owned and operated Shifty's Premium Cuts in Mounds View for the past year. He died on May 7 in a car crash in San Jose, California.
He was known by so many as driven, ambitious and a successful barbershop owner, with a lot of bigger dreams.
Sheferaw was mentored in high school by the owner of Akway's Sports Barbershop, Akeem Akway. Nathan started working for him by sweeping the barbershop floors and was quickly promoted to Akway's business partner at only 21 years old.
"He was just so good with people, greeting people, he's like a man of the community, you know?" said Akway.
Sheferaw eventually started his own barbershop, Shifty's Premium Cuts, with big dreams to expand. He even shared his goals with WCCO's Shayla Reaves earlier this year during an interview, saying, "We're going to be opening up Head Start Barber School. We're set to open up in June, with God's grace, where we'll be offering a full nine-month program."
Those dreams were cut short, when Sheferaw died in a car crash in San Jose, California. He was only 25 years old. The California Highway Patrol investigation says a solo driver was moving at a high rate of speed on Highway 101 at 8:30 p.m. on May 7 when they exited at the Trimble Road off-ramp too fast and overturned the vehicle. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
"It took me a few days to settle in. I would wake up and think I was dreaming. I might have been a nightmare," said Maya Buckner, a close friend of Sheferaw's.
Buckner believes all that Sheferaw accomplished in his short 25 years, should be a blueprint for other young people with big dreams.
"I believe that if you want to be a young entrepreneur, Nathan is definitely someone that you should look up to and model yourself after," said Buckner.
Akway plans to keep cutting hair and to continue to pay it forward in Sheferaw's honor.
"I'm definitely going to keep mentoring young guys and use Nate as an example," said Akway.
Sheferaw's staff plans to keep Shifty's Premium Cuts open and operating and ask for community support to keep this business going.
