South Bend barbershop customers pay it forward

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Customers of Boulanger’s Barberie have been paying it forward for over a week, all thanks to a new client's act of kindness.

Owner and hairdresser Michelle Schmidt says she has seen this happen with coffee cups, but never in her barbershop.

“We had a new client come in and she offered to pay for my next client’s haircut, which I was floored by,” Schmidt said. "This is my livelihood so it really touched me.”

This “random act of kindness” happened on May 8, and as of May 17, was still going strong, with longtime customer Thomas Gerhold picking up the tab for a complete stranger.

“It makes me feel good, you know, we could use a lot more of that in this day and age,” Gerhold said.  “I’m an old man and I’ve seen a lot and what I’m seeing today isn’t making me happy but it makes me happy that somebody started this.”

Gerhold hopes to see the kindness continue through until at least his next haircut, which is in four weeks.