‘Bring barbering to basketball’: A look inside Rivals Barbershop, a Durham hub for all Tobacco Road rivalry fans

Photos by Crystal Han

When a customer walks into Rivals Barbershop, they are surrounded by North Carolina college basketball.

The entire floor of the shop is modeled as a hardwood basketball court. The free-throw lanes on either side highlight two of the biggest rivalries in the state. Duke and North Carolina blues split the paint closest to the door, while the opposite side is taken up by the Aggie gold of N.C. A&T and Durham’s own N.C. Central maroon. 

The wall sports five North Carolina-shaped placards, each with the logo and colors of one of the four teams above plus N.C. State. A mini basketball hoop hangs from the top of a closet door, and every barber chair features the Rivals logo: The outlines of two basketball players — one colored in Duke blue, one in North Carolina blue — jumping for an opening tip. 

On the far wall, a backboard is adorned with signatures of frequent Rivals customers and supporters of the shop. But the biggest signature is inscribed on the floor; LeVelle Moton, current N.C. Central basketball head coach and customer of Rivals, is the court’s namesake.  

It’s a lot to take in, but owner Khedron Mims meant it this way. 

“I just didn't want to go with any other form,” he told The Chronicle. “I was like, ‘Let's make it feel real.’ I wanted to put the chairs alongside so every seat is courtside.”

‘An ultimate experience’

This location, opened in 2020 on Durham’s 727 N. Mangum Street, is the second Rivals Barbershop. Mims opened the first one in 2010 on N.C. Highway 98 but wanted to be closer to downtown Durham and both universities. 

Mims has started and worked various barbershops throughout his lifetime. Years in the business made him realize he should open one focused on basketball. 

“I noticed that customers would talk about UNC and Duke all the time … like every time they came to get their hair cut,” Mims said. 

At Mims’ first shop, Changing Faces, Mims and customer Patrick Douthit, the Grammy-winning producer known as 9th Wonder, noticed how much people talked about basketball and started hosting Duke vs. North Carolina watch parties. Douthit is currently a Duke faculty member in the department of African and African American studies.

“I had visualized one day putting a basketball court in a barbershop and making it an ultimate experience for people to come have a good time,” Mims said. “I kind of wanted to bring barbering to basketball and sports.”

So, he got to work, and through a multi-year process, created the barbershop that flourishes today. Durham Mayor Pro Tempore Mark-Anthony Middleton gave Mims the idea to name the store “Rivals,” and the catchy branding and iconic logo became an instant hit. 

The community has responded, as big names from both sides of the rivalry took notice of Mims. From North Carolina, Rivals’ customers include Armando Bacot, Kenny Smith Jr. and TJ Logan, while Chris Carrawell and Amile Jefferson have come in from Duke. 

Mims’ barbers include Nicholas Bailey, a self-described “basketball savant,” who grew up playing multiple sports and living around the rivalry. The rivalry runs through his family; Bailey’s dad (and customer) worked at Duke Hospital and staffed North Carolina basketball and football games. 

“[My dad’s] birthday is actually a couple weeks before the game,” Bailey said. “It’s kind of been like our little tradition. I think he passed that down to me unintentionally, the love of sports."

As a “die-hard Tar Heel fan,” Bailey’s favorite rivalry memories are former North Carolina sharpshooter Danny Green dunking on Greg Paulus and Tyler Hansbrough’s bloody nose — both infamous moments in Duke basketball circles. 

At Rivals, he enjoys the social aspect of barbering; cutting hair is an opportunity to engage with his home state and people of all ages.

“It gives a sense of like old school meets new school, and it bridges the gap in the community of Durham,” Bailey said. “The barbershop in general has always been a place … to come and talk sports, shoot the breeze about who the best player in the league is, the upcoming stars, the youth. It’s just a safe place and a safe zone for the whole community.”

The Duke-North Carolina tilt is, however, not the only rivalry highlighted at Rivals. With N.C. Central and N.C. A&T — the two biggest historically Black colleges and universities in the state — only 55 miles apart, there is no love lost between the Eagles and Aggies. The two teams’ colors are represented throughout the shop as well; an N.C. Central jersey hangs on the wall. By naming the court after Moton — N.C. Central’s head coach — Mims rewards all that Moton has done for Durham. 

Bailey attended A&T for some time before pursuing a full-time career in barbering. Beyond the rivalry is pride; the camaraderie of HBCU fans watching others succeed. 

“Being an African American myself … It's a beautiful thing to see people that look just like you, day to day trying to achieve their goals, whatever that may be like,” Bailey said. 

‘What Durham means to me’ 

Barbering isn’t the only way Mims brings people together. As a lifelong songwriter, Mims used music as an outlet during COVID-19 when his shop was closed to express his feelings about his hometown. 

In 2022, Mims wrote “Bull City Anthem,” an up-beat, inspiring song about the promise of Durham. He wanted to write a song that people “could all join in.” The music video features Durham youth, business owners and even Mayor Leonardo Williams. 

“I just really think our culture here is a little different from all other cities. And we’ve had issues here in our city with gun violence, and I just didn't want that to overshadow what Durham means to me,” Mims said. 

His next venture, a documentary called “Bull City Turnaround,” focuses on those who have had a past dealing drugs and have changed their life trajectories. Many of them were formerly incarcerated, and Mims wants to tell “the story of transformation.” Just like with the song, he is working with Durham leaders on the project. It is set to be released in spring 2025.

Mims’ passion for service comes back to barbering. A three-row bookshelf — with everything from children’s books, the Black experience in America and sports history — stands immediately upon entry to the shop. Rivals partnered with the Durham Literacy Center to focus on building habits of reading and literacy amongst the Durham youth. At Rivals, children can read biographies of Nelson Mandela and Jackie Robinson or "The Giant Book of Questions and Answers” while waiting to get their hair cut. 

Mentorship is personal to Mims; while he was surrounded by friends who got into trouble growing up, he found mentors who changed his life and supported him to pursue barbering school. He wants to pass that down to others. 

“I love to give kids opportunities to sweep up here where we're able to pour into them and give them some mentorship,” Mims said. “There’s so many impactful individuals that they can bump into, and they can see success. They might not be experiencing success at home or in their neighborhoods, but if they come in here, we'll say, ‘Hey, man, what do you think about this? What's your dream? What are you doing next?’”

At Rivals, each patron is treated with care and respect, and customers have a brotherly relationship with the barbers, including Mims himself. He was introduced to the rivalry by growing up and watching Michael Jordan, making him an avid Tar Heels fan. But his favorite part about the rivalry is the community, the theme behind his business.

“The rivalry is just so strong, it's just so competitive and it's so allegiant to this great state of North Carolina,” Mims said. “It gives a lot of people joy and something to look forward to. I don't think anybody has anything like we do as far as basketball here in the cities of Durham and Chapel Hill.”

No matter which side they are on, customers walk out of Rivals Barbershop with a fresh cut, a smile and maybe a new friend or mentor. Inside this small shop on the corner of N. Mangum Street, the Duke-North Carolina rivalry can be a force for good. 


Ranjan Jindal profile
Ranjan Jindal | Sports Editor

Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.

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