Cleveland of Diva’s House of Hair looks back on his life as one of the areas best stylists
by S. Hale
In the world of professional hair care there are beauticians, stylists, hairdressers etc. and then there is Yodie Swain.
Cleveland, as he is commonly referred to, is owner/operator of Diva’s House of Hair on Williamson Rd. in northwest, Roanoke.
Although presently celebrating 20 years in the business this past August, Cleveland has actually been in the industry for 23 years. The 44 year-old Roanoke native has been doing hair since he was a child and fondly remembers how he loved to brush his mother’s hair that “flowed down to the middle of her back.”
He comes from a family of nine siblings amazingly, and says his mother, Naomi Swain, was both mother and father as his father didn’t play much of a role in his life. He also enjoyed doing his two sisters’ hair before they went to school each morning.
The William Fleming High School graduate had aspirations of becoming a lawyer but after completing a year at Virginia Western Community College he figured it just wasn’t his thing. Shortly thereafter, Cleveland moved to Washington D.C. and enrolled in Potomac Hair Academy, Falls Church, VA. He returned home, finished his certification and received his license through Virginia Hair Academy.
He first worker under the tutelage of some of the areas finest hair stylists under which he honed his skills. Cleveland quickly developed his own client base and set up shop at Lamplighter Mall where he has remained for 20 years. Presently he and shampoo assistant Jihad Barbee work an astounding number of clients into their rigorous daily schedule.
“I have clients that have been with me since I started 23 years ago,” he said. “I just think that speaks volumes because my clients are more like family.”
Something he holds in great esteem is the fact that he has within his clientele (members of one family) who amazingly span 4 generations that he serves with a special sense of pride.
“It is an awesome thing to have the great-grandmother, grandmother, mother and child sitting in here… it’s beautiful,” he said.
Cleveland says he’s not a barber and “does not do men’s hair as there are some great barbers in this town.” But once he does, the client usually will only want him to continue cutting their hair.
It’s a known fact that most hairstylists are like therapists whereby they’ve heard it all from their clients who in many cases turn to them for advice and/or just need someone to talk with on a personal level-and Cleveland says he has “truly heard it all.”
“I’d like to think all of my customers are celebrities,” he boasted, adding that one of his favorite clients however is Delegate Sam Rasoul who is also his landlord.
“Sam has been extremely good to me,” Cleveland adds. “I have nothing but great respect for him and his family.” He bought at the best prices. The delegate often enjoys engaging in impromptu Q&As with the ladies in his salon who have questions about various political issues.
Never backing down from a challenge, the seasoned stylist has also worked on the clients of various funeral homes. He told a story of how a man once asked him to “service” his departed wife who to Cleveland’s surprise was never a client. However the man said his wife had attended a funeral of someone whose hair Cleveland had done. Interestingly enough, the wife had specified that upon her passing the husband would get Cleveland to do her hair.
“This is not an uncommon thing,” he said. “Plenty of people always ask me to do their hair if something happens to them.”
There’s no question that there is nothing ordinary about this stylish self-made entrepreneur who by all means, seems to live on top of life.
I really enjoy being dressed up–what I call scissor sharp,” he said. “Especially when I go out of town.” The way he dresses, his shoes, his business, his beliefs and most of all his attitude are anything but mundane. Its rare to walk into his shop and not be greeted with a smile from either him or any of his patrons who patiently sit and relax through their transition to beauty.
Cleveland has also engaged in philanthropic endeavors whereas one of his clients connected him with Goodwill Industries. It involved donating his time and services to a program designed for putting women back to work which he was more than happy to do.
“I believe in giving back,” he said. “It brings me joy when these women come in as regular customers–nobody knows they come through Goodwill Industries and I do their hair just like a regular client for free…They get VIP service just like all of my clients,” he added.
Cleveland also entered an agreement with Social Services to conduct classes for white parents who have adopted Black and bi-racial children and they “don’t know what to do with their hair.”
Such an amazing opportunity can be a real source of inspiration to anyone with high-minded morals and a deep sense of balance as Cleveland embodies.
His thorough approach to his craft is one of a natural flow that deeply connects him to his many clients who through his obsession to make them look good–are compelled to feel good.
There are many professions that depend on personal interaction. Among them is hairstyling and Cleveland is no average hairstylist. For anyone who knows him (and many who don’t) can’t help but gravitate to his flamboyant and charismatic personality. He’s undoubtedly, to say the least, one of a kind.
