Craig Elston stands in front of his barbershop, C&C Cutz in Buffalo, NY. (Photo Courtesy of Craig Elston)
A local barber helped keep 50 people safe during the deadly blizzard in Buffalo, New York, that has claimed the lives of nearly 40 people. Craig Elston, who owns C&C Cutz, turned his barbershop into a shelter after one man knocked on his door seeking a safe haven.
After seeing reports of people dying in the freezing weather, Elston took to social media to spread the word that he had electricity, heat and WiFi at his business. He welcomed anyone who needed help.
“Yo. Please, man, anybody out there that’s stuck, that’s in the Fillmore and Broadway area, man, do not stay in your car. The barbershop here at 707 Fillmore welcomes you,” Elston said in a TikTok video he posted on Christmas Eve.
“Please … people out there dying, this sh*t is real, my door is open. I’m not charging nobody nothing. It’s for free. You’re more than welcome to come here. … Get some heat, get some electricity, charge your phone, get in contact with your family.”
The video was shared widely on Facebook and TikTok and it didn’t take long for people to take the barber up on his offer. “Everybody, everybody started to show up,” Elston told NPR.
Elston kept his guests fed between the vending machine in his shop and corner store down the street.
“I did my best to try to get to a corner store to get them some food, some drinks. There’s a vending machine in here. You know, they did have access to that. And for the people that didn’t have any money, I reached in my own pocket and gave them money to get something to eat,” Elston said. “Christmas dinner was Vienna sausages, Hot Pockets, chips, peach tea. That – yeah, that was Christmas dinner.”
Elston missed Christmas with his two daughters, Malia and Madison, while caring for people during the storm. He said not being there for them on Christmas was “heartbreaking,” but he tried to keep people’s spirits up because no one was spending Christmas the way they’d planned.
“People were crying. The barbershop floor, it’s so crazy because so many foot – for instance, here on the floor – you know, people was sleeping in corners of the shop, sleeping in the barber chairs. I mean, I put TV on so we could watch movies. We watched the football game together,” Elston explained.
His original TikTok video has over 1 million views and counting. He’s also been featured in various media for his selfless actions.
Though he’s being hailed a hero, Elston told Insider his only desire was to help others survive the storm.
“People’s been reaching out to me calling me a hero and the most I tell them is that I’m no hero. I’m just a person that got a heart,” Elston said. “I felt like, at that time, it was what I was supposed to do. I’m sitting in a warm place and I got lights and people are without lights. People are without gas, people are without food, people are without drinks. And I have all those things and I have access to all those things. I’m not gonna be selfish.”
