Scott County: A great place to do your own thing

Dru Booth has been a barber for five years and has always wanted to open his own barbershop.

Initially, he had intended to work as a barber to help make his way through college, but he decided to give barber school a try and found it to be his true calling.

A client waits inside Oddfellows Barbershop in downtown Sikeston, Missouri, on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.Laura Simon

Since then, he has worked to own his own business, and worked to find a location big enough for future expansion.

"I've just kind of always wanted to do my own thing," he says. "I've just been working for the past little while saving up money and working on me and my skills, to get where I want to be to open my own business."

He has owned Odd Fellows Barbershop at 124 N. Kingshighway in Sikeston, Missouri, since August, but officially opened for business in January.

Dru Booth, owner of Oddfellows Barbershop in downtown Sikeston, trims up Matt Stevens, Tuesday, March 15, 2016.Laura Simon

Dru Booth, owner of Oddfellows Barbershop in downtown Sikeston, works on a client on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.Laura Simon

Booth says he always wanted a downtown location because of the atmosphere it creates for the employees and the customers.

"I just wanted the whole brick street, downtown, old-school building with a little bit new-schooler vibe," he says.

As a fledgling business, Booth currently is the sole barber at Odd Fellows, but he has plans to expand and hire several more barbers in the future.

Working to establish a diverse business with a unique and fresh twist, he offers services from straight razor shaves to military flat top cuts, designs and beyond.

"I can cut anybody's hair, all hair types. That's what I'm trying to be -- I'm trying to be the guy that cuts everybody's hair that wants it a certain way that nobody else can do it," Booth says.

Dru Booth, owner of Oddfellows Barbershop in downtown Sikeston, works on a client on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.Laura Simon