Niwot Barber Shop's Alivia Bell is grateful for community support

It's been just over a year since Alivia Bell of Niwot Barber Shop was seriously injured while riding her bike in Longmont, but thanks to the support of her clients, neighbors, and friends in Niwot, the experienced stylist is now back behind the chair and doing what she does best.

"I love cutting hair, it's my passion," Bell said from her cozy two-chair shop in Cottonwood Square, where she has been working for close to 15 years. "And I just love to be able to help serve in some way, to contribute, to give back to the community, and this is the only way I know how to do it."

On June 3, 2020, Bell was struck by a car during a bike ride, and sustained a broken leg and back injury. She underwent surgery at least twice in the following month, then endured physical therapy for several months after that. Today, Bell is back on her feet, but she is still experiencing pain, especially at the end of a long day.

"The physical therapists said that they're done with me, so I have a personal trainer. She comes once a week and helps me because it's very challenging to get motivated and have the energy after cutting hair."

In a bid to rebuild her fitness, she has resumed walking around Niwot from her apartment on 2nd Avenue, but she has probably seen the end of her biking career.

"That's what has been hard," she said. "It's very depressing that I can't ride my bike. But walking is supposed to help build bones, and it's so nice to be out seeing my neighbors and customers."

Bell's injury kept her from working for more than 10 months, and that was after the pandemic closed her shop completely during the spring of 2020. As a result, she didn't have much money coming in last year, while her expenses continued to accumulate.

That's when some of her Niwot friends stepped in, led by Jim Eastman. He started a Go Fund Me page for the barber that has so far raised more than $31,000. It has helped her with living expenses, including rent, and Bell is overwhelmed by the town's generosity.

"The people here are just the greatest, and I couldn't have done it without them," she said.

But she is much happier being back in her shop and seeing clients in person, and not just as names on a screen.

"I haven't seen many of them in 14 months, and they definitely had their hair long," she said. "It's pretty exciting when they call and say, 'Are you back?', and then it makes me so happy when they come in."

Niwot Barber Shop (7960 Niwot Rd. B-8) is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 303-652-9088.