Pre-school teacher side-hustles as barber along corridor of Toa Payoh flat

An educator by day and a barber by night, Nurkhai Arina offers haircuts from the corridor of her Toa Payoh block.

Together with a close friend, the 29-year-old physical education teacher at a pre-school officially opened KZ Barbershop this August, reported Malay news outlet Berita on Friday (Oct 25).

The pair specialise in men's haircuts and short hairstyles for women, and work from a nook of the common corridor outside Nurkhai's home. 

Nurkhai reportedly receives an average of five customers every evening, some of whom had followed her from a salon where she had been working part-time at for five years. A haircut by her costs $28.

The barber's TikTok videos showcasing her and her friend's entrepreneurial journey has also shone extra attention on the business, with a number of netizens leaving supportive messages in the comments section.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@itsmekai.zer/video/7407476380130168085[/embed]

Speaking to Berita, Nurkhai explained she had wanted to own a business and show others that it's possible to start a business from the ground up. 

Her parents are supportive of her venture, and her neighbours are understanding and have no complaints, she said.

Nurkhai added that she thoroughly sweeps the corridor at the end of the day to ensure there are no strands of hair left behind.

Offering haircuts outside her home is just the first step—she hopes to open a physical store in the future with air-conditioning for customers and hair-washing services.

"There're many more services I can provide. This is just the beginning," she said.

AsiaOne has reached out to Nurkhai for more information.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com