Together with her husband, Anastasiia Yaremchuk has already opened eight barbershops in Donetsk. The couple, both medics, were not afraid to start a business just 20 kilometres from the frontline. To employ locals, they had to retrain artists and locksmiths to become barbers. The staffing issue is one of the most painful, as people leave because of the proximity to the frontline.
Life in Uncertainty
In 2014, when the war began, I was finishing my internship in my hometown of Horlivka in Donetsk. However, living in the city was difficult due to frequent shelling. One day, the enemy bombarded the centre of Horlivka. There were many casualties and fatalities. I managed to survive. That day, July 27th, I will remember forever. It is my second birthday. That is when our small family made the decision to move to a safer place. We settled for almost two years in the village of Adamivka, 40 km from Kramatorsk. During this time, I commuted to the city for work. I worked as an assistant at the Department of Oncology and Radiology at Donetsk National Medical University. I only saw my eldest son, Timur, on weekends. He lived with my parents. To be together, we made another decision to move. There is nothing more permanent than temporary. This time, we moved to Druzhkivka in Donetsk, where I remarried.
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I met my husband at work - he is an orthopaedic surgeon.
On the day the full-scale war began, we found out we were expecting a baby. My husband insisted on moving, but I firmly said: «I am not going anywhere»
We persuaded our eldest son and my parents to move to Uman in the Cherkasy region. But we stayed. Our work did not allow us to leave the city. As doctors, we had to be at our workplace to help people. That separation from my son and parents was challenging. They eventually returned. In October 2022, I gave birth to my youngest son. What we endured that year, with no gas, no water for almost six months, and power outages - this toughened us, and it is now taken as normality. Unfortunately, you get used to it. The most important thing is that we held on.
A Barbershop
At that time, many women with children had left the city, but their husbands stayed behind. I noticed there was a demand for men's haircuts. I could not even book an appointment for my husband. It was a real problem. One day, I had the idea to open a barbershop with a men's section. I wanted to create something themed, something unusual. Barbershops were always named «Olena», «Natalia», «Anastasiia» and so on. We had many name options - «Cactus», «Razor». A coincidence helped us decide. My husband is from the Chernihiv region. One day, we visited Nizhyn. There is a pedagogical institute named after Mykola Gogol, a street with the same name, and we accidentally went into a café also called «At Gogol's». Inside, everything was dedicated to the writer. Stylish and thematic. So, as we were leaving, I told my husband that we should link the barbershop's name to a character. Since we are both fans of detective stories, we settled on the name «Sherlock». Then we started thinking about the attributes: a smoking pipe, a violin, a plaid, a desk, a typewriter, a magnifying glass, a microscope. And that is how we started to recreate an English style in the establishment.
The first «Sherlock» is a very small space, just two by three metres. There is one chair and a work area with a sink. There are banners with the «English Queen with Gum», photos of The Beatles, and posters of London. In the waiting area, there is a small vintage-style cabinet. On the wall, there is a typewriter. We created a cosy men's section, with a design I came up with.
We searched for all these items wherever we could. We bought the typewriter and violin on OLX. A colleague gave us the plaid in the English style. We have a few books about Sherlock Holmes, gifted by our barber Danylo. Clients donated an old machine and scissors
My husband and I work as two sole proprietors. We were able to start the business thanks to a microgrant from «E-support». My husband received a grant for barber services, and I got one for the development of a café. So, we also offer coffee at «Sherlock». The barbershop has been running for over a year, and we have been selling coffee for almost seven months.
The most expensive part was buying quality clippers, shavers, and trimmers. Additionally, one must understand that this equipment wears out. We rent the premises, so we did minor repairs everywhere. The grant support helped a lot. But we received it during the growth stage.
We opened the first two locations by ourselves. Of course, before starting the business, I calculated everything carefully. A men's haircut costs from one hundred hryvnias. We keep our prices very democratic.
The Biggest Problem - Staff
The first problem was finding specialists. There were almost none because many people had left. We searched for staff everywhere. Eventually, we decided to train those who were willing to work. This could be done in Dnipro or Kyiv. Our first trainee was our barber Danylo. At the time, he had just had a baby, and there was not enough money to support the family. The young man was talented and had little experience cutting hair while serving in the army. He quickly mastered the profession of a barber.
Later, two more specialists from other barbershops wanted to join us. So we began to expand. In Druzhkivka, we already have four establishments. There were also four in Kostyantynivka. However, due to the increased number of shellings, we had to relocate the business from there to Kramatorsk. For now, there is only one barbershop left there. Overall, we have 16 barbers working in two cities.
We have people with disabilities. We have an artist who works as a barber. In the café, the barista is a woman with six children. We also have a seamstress who retrained and is now a colourist and hairdresser
Women are amazed by her talents. Only two barbers were working in their profession. The rest we trained. We organised the training at our own expense. This was also a risk. There were cases where our employees, after training with us, went to competitors. But everyone has the right to choose. If one person leaves, two more will come. You should never try to keep anyone.
We have plenty of clients. Nowadays, we have versatile specialists. In addition to hairdressing services, the girls do eyelashes, brows and nails. As for power and water outages, we have adapted. Moreover, the situation is more or less stable now. We also work with battery-powered tools. We always have a constant water supply stored in tanks. Therefore, we can wash someone's hair or beard even if the city has no water.
20 km from the frontline
Chasiv Yar, where the frontline is, is very close - about 20 kilometres. Sometimes people ask me if we were afraid to open a business so close to the fighting. Yes, it is scary, but if you do nothing, it becomes even scarier. I had already experienced starting life from scratch in 2014. So I really did not want to believe or even think that we would face the same situation again and have to leave. I believe until the very end. I have no doubt that the region will endure. Even this close to the frontline, people still care about good haircuts.
I can not say whether people are leaving the city. On the contrary, some are returning. Home is home, and everyone holds on to their house, to their chance to be at home. Life does not stop
We have very clean and neat streets. There are shellings. You fear them, but you fear even more when they are not happening because of the waiting. It really weighs on your mind. But everyone adapts and tries to live. These are living cities. Yes, they are ravaged, but everything still works here. There are many entrepreneurs. As for how I cope psychologically, I just stay calm. My second degree is in psychology. I also find peace in my children and my work.
If I am busy, I do not analyse what is happening around me 24/7. My eyes are not glued to the battle map. I will not be able to hug the whole world and make the war end. Therefore, we must find happiness and balance in what we have. Pull yourself together. Currently, I work in Druzhkivka as a radiologist at the Central City Clinical Hospital, and part-time as a radiologist at the Kramatorsk Oncology Dispensary. And, of course, I also run the barbershops.
Plans - Business Expansion and Opening a School
We are on the verge of opening the fifth barbershop in Druzhkivka. In total, there will be seven. When we were buying a mirror and a small waiting sofa, my husband said: «Everyone is moving things out, and we are buying and bringing things in». I hope this sofa serves us for many years.
Our dream and plan is to open a school of hairdressing. We could train staff for ourselves and others. Healthy competition should exist, as the lack of it leads to complacency and no toughening. But this is all in the future. We would like to expand across the region, opening establishments in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. I also have plans for the café. I really want it to be more than just a coffee-to-go point, but a full-fledged establishment.
Combining work and business is not easy. It is very exhausting. In addition, I am a mother of two children who need attention. My parents help me. Sometimes I can forget, for example, to deliver clean towels or pick up an order. But I have a boss, my husband, who helps with everything. We work as a single organism. What I cannot do, he manages. And it is very convenient when you work as partners. It is comfortable not only to be husband and wife but also friends and work partners.
As for the future, it is difficult to say what lies ahead. I remain very calm in any situation and try to solve issues as they arise. We need to keep an eye on the situation on the frontlines and prepare some alternative plans. However, it is essential not to forget that life is happening here and now. We must continue to work and live.
The war has taught me to appreciate my loved ones and every moment of life
By the way, my work in oncology has also taught me this. When I started working at the oncology dispensary, I was 25 years old. It is terrifying when you realise that it is not only war that can take away the most precious thing - life. That is why you appreciate every minute and try to do something good for your family. At this point, I am not considering moving, but if there is destruction and a threat to the lives of my loved ones, I will choose safety for them. Despite the war, I believe we have the best country, with strong education, incredible nature, and, of course, excellent doctors. I think people living in Europe now have long realised this. Therefore, I probably would not change anything in Ukraine. I would just somehow stimulate its development. I dream of the end of the war and stability. Also, after the war, I really want to send my children to my parents and go to Venice or Portugal with my husband. I am really craving some romance.
A TV host, journalist and author of over three thousand materials on various subjects, including some remarkable journalist investigations that led to changes in local governments. She also writes about tourism, science and health. She got into journalism by accident over 20 years ago. She led her personal projects on the UTR TV channel, worked as a reporter for the news service and at the ICTV channel for over 12 years. While working she visited over 50 countries. Has exceptional skills in storytelling and data analysis. Worked as a lecturer at the NAU’s International Journalism faculty. She is enrolled in the «International Journalism» postgraduate study program: she is working on a dissertation covering the work of Polish mass media during the Russian-Ukrainian war.
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