BY KEELIN EVERLY-LANG for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 6/26/2026
Inside a strip mall in Hosmer is a hub for community, fresh fades, and a welcoming environment that makes you feel like family the second you walk in the door.
Faded Styles is a barbershop run by Mario Moore, who has been perfecting his craft for more than two decades. Moore has taken apprentice barbers Quan Williams Cruz and Rolando under his wing, and they have plenty of talent to share too.
The shop accepts only cash, but provides an ATM for customer convenience, and focuses on walk-ins rather than appointments. Customers can enjoy the clean and welcoming atmosphere or try their hand at some vintage video games while they wait.
Moore opened the shop three years ago, bringing along his shop name from his former location of seven years in Skyway, Washington.
All three barbers also speak Spanish fluently, adding to the welcoming atmosphere.
Barber Quan Williams Cruz has been cutting hair there since he finished barber school and the shop opened.
His favorite thing about the job is having the opportunity to express himself and his art, but a close second is the community and the wisdom that he learns from his conversations with customers and with Moore.
“You can learn a lot from just being in a barbershop and hearing different perspectives and different ways of thinking from conversations,” Williams Cruz said.
From Moore in particular, Williams Cruz said he’s learned “a lot of gems.” Some highlights include the importance of being professional and always having a positive attitude.
Barber-in-training Rolando is only sixteen but has already built a following of almost 10,000 followers on social media for his videos of his cuts and started perfecting his craft at age fourteen.
“I learned by myself and just started with just a razor,” Rolando said. He eventually moved up to using clippers and is now working toward gaining his license, which requires many hours in the shop. That, and being past his next birthday.
He is balancing building up his career as a barber with working for his parents’ landscape business while also attending high school, and even in the summer, he stays busy seven days a week.
Rolando’s favorite part of cutting hair is “being here, how it feels like I’m at home.” Through his time at the shop, he’s also been learning the value of patience and how to work with challenging customers to find a style that will make them walk away happy.
Growing up in Hosmer, Rolando said of the neighborhood that “it used to be worse, but it’s getting better.”
There is still widespread substance use in the area, and many families are struggling right now due to economic pressures.
The immigration crackdown by the Trump administration has also been hard on local businesses like Faded Styles, as many hardworking community members have been forced to hide out of fear of being assaulted, indefinitely detained, or deported by immigration enforcement, regardless of legal status.
“After that task force . . . I lost a lot of clients,” Moore said.
At his shop, he’ll sometimes help out those who are struggling with food or money and has offered people the opportunity to earn some money cleaning his shop.
While he does what he can, he said it’s hard to see the rampant fentanyl use in the neighborhood and to see so many people who have “given up” and “don’t want to be helped.”
“I understand that there are ups and downs in this world, and I’m here to help, but don’t use my help and take advantage of it,” Moore said.
He has also partnered with other local organizations to put together back-to-school events in Federal Way and Seattle, giving out free school supplies and haircuts.
Despite moving his business further south, Moore stays connected to the community in south Seattle and Skyway with these events.
“I love giving back,” Moore said.
This year, he’s planning to bring that community love to Tacoma, and in his shop, he works with people where they’re at, offering more affordable cuts than many other shops.
That community attitude also extends to the atmosphere he creates in his shop, which strikes the balance between professionalism and a comfortable atmosphere that only small businesses can.
While lining up a clean edge or tapering the perfect fade, he might also answer a phone call from one of his eight children, taking the time to be a listening and supportive ear while also reminding them to take care of their responsibilities.
When he looks to the future, Moore hopes to pay it forward and see the next generation take over his shop and someday retire in Thailand, where one of his sons already owns a home.
This content paid for by the Hosmer Business District
