Barber Kelvin Vargas is a “110 per cent” fan of Major League Baseball.

The Houston Astros are his team.

“I have only been to one Houston Astros game in person but I have MLB.TV [a television streaming package] that allows me to watch every season,” he said.

He poured his passion for the sport into his new barbershop in Hamilton, calling it the Major League Barbershop. His logo is blue, white and red, the most used colours of MLB teams.

He opened on the Washington Mall balcony, directly above La Trattoria restaurant, on September 1.

His new clients can watch sports on television while they get haircuts, facials, shaves, fades or have their eyebrows trimmed.

“We do it all,” Mr Vargas said.

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, a barbershop was more than just a place to get a shave and a haircut.

“Seven days a week men would come in to watch sports on television, argue politics, and drink,” he said. “They sold beer right there in the barber shop.”

He hopes that the Major League Barbershop can be a similar community hub in Hamilton for people who love good conversation and sport, of course without the alcohol.

“Even if I could get a licence to sell it, I wouldn’t. I want the place to be family friendly, where you can bring your kids,” he said. “I want it to be a place where you can be social.”

He first came to Bermuda almost eight years ago.

“I came here for my future,” he said. “I am always looking for something new. I thought let’s try a new country and culture.”

He first worked for a local barbershop and then a hair salon.

“It was always my dream to own my own barbershop,” he said.

Last year, he decided it was time.

“It took a lot of patience,” he said. “I thought it would take a month to open but it actually took six months.”

He did a lot of the physical work of getting the shop in order on his own.

“Everyone was busy or had the flu,” he said. “I had to do a lot of the work myself.”

His Bermudian wife, Chantel, was also heavily pregnant. Their second child was born in October, a month after he opened.

“Chantel is the engine in this,” he said. “She is always there trying to make sure that everything is right.”

Mrs Vargas also helped him understand and navigate Bermuda’s red tape. One of their major hurdles has been immigration.

“I wanted to employ Bermudians but most local barbers were already employed or running their own barber shops,” Mr Vargas said.

So he brought his brother, Jose Vargas, and another barber, Jean Carlos, over from the Dominican Republic.

“The three of us make a great team,” he said.

When he first took over the space, he worried that he was doing the right thing. Running his own business was a big leap from working for someone else. As it turned out, there was no reason to worry.

The location near the City Hall Car Park has been ideal.

“There are lots of surrounding offices,” he said. “People can come in and get their hair cut on their way to do something else. We have had a lot of walk-ins. People have been amazing. Sometimes people just come in to say hello.”