Shortly after coronavirus shut down New York last spring, Herman James picked up his clippers, headed outside and found himself a new identity: the Central Park barber. A year on, business is good for the 33-year-old, the latest attraction and only hairdresser in Manhattan's green lung, renowned for its musicians, roller discos and birds. "I love it, being a trendsetter and having a monopoly," says James at his new "shop" – a foldable chair under a leaf-covered pergola near the Strawberry Fields John Lennon memorial. After a 45-minute subway ride from his Brooklyn home, James opens his wheelie suitcase, removes scissors, mirror and comb, and hangs them on hooks in the wooden pergola that overlooks the boating lake. He lines up hair products on the ground and drapes a gown over the chair. There's no red, white and blue-striped pole but he unfurls a banner that reads "Central Park Barber: Complimentary Haircuts!" James started offering free haircuts in the park in May 2020, after pandemic restrictions temporarily closed all non-essential businesses in New York, including the shop where he was working. He hoped the cuts would give New Yorkers a lift during a difficult time and...