KITCHENER — The leathery smell of new barber chairs fills the air in the Al-Othman brothers' recently opened barber shop on Lancaster Street.

For these two Syrian refugees with perfectly coiffed hair, it is the smell of success.

Having arrived in Kitchener only recently, Diyaa and Mahmoud Al-Othman were determined to carry on their trade in their new home.

Diyaa couldn't put into English words how he felt about his new-found success. He is overjoyed.

"In Lebanon we weren't allowed to do this. We couldn't own a house, a car, a business."

Members of the Al-Othman family fled their war-torn home of Homs, Syria, when violence worsened several years ago. They took refuge in neighbouring Lebanon, but as refugees they lived in constant fear and insecurity.

Part of the Al-Othman family — Diyaa, a younger brother and their mother — were privately sponsored by the congregation of Calvary United Church in St. Jacobs almost three years ago.

The trio arrived in Kitchener on a cold New Year's Day in 2016, part of the wave of nearly a thousand Syrian refugees who arrived in Waterloo Region that year.

Diyaa set to work looking for a job as a barber, a trade he learned from his older brother, Mahmoud. He worked hard for the past two years and waited patiently for Mahmoud to get to Canada as well so they could pursue their dream — to open their own barbershop in Canada.

"This was their plan when they first arrived," said Kathy Kumar, a member of Calvary United. "We're so proud of them."

Mahmoud was a popular hairstylist when he lived in Syria. Violence forced the family to flee to Lebanon where Mahmoud continued to work as a barber to support his wife and two young girls. He lived in constant fear for his family having escaped conscription in Syria.

Mahmoud and his young family were also sponsored by the St. Jacobs church and arrived in Kitchener earlier this year. Diyaa quit his job at a local barbershop and the two determined brothers set to work looking for a location for their barbershop.

Diyaa said it was difficult to get the barbershop off the ground. Landlords were hesitant to lease space to young Syrian refugees. But they persevered and found an ideal spot in a plaza on Lancaster Street.

"Business has been very good," he said. "It's a very good life."

Calvary United Church is in the process of sponsoring one of the Al-Othman's sisters and her husband in the hopes of reuniting the family of 10 siblings here in Canada.

Othman's Barber Shop is located at 315 Lancaster St., Unit 9, in Kitchener.

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