Brighton Barber’s Before and After Lockdown Haircuts Brighton News

Barbers, along with many other businesses across England, were forced to close in January as the country plunged into a third nationwide lockdown to curb rising coronavirus numbers.

But, as part of the government’s “road map” to lift restrictions, they were allowed to reopen alongside non-essential stores and gyms last Monday.

Joey, 28, said people’s self-styling habits had been completely different from some of the drastic measures used during the initial lockdown last March.

“We definitely found that there were more home haircuts after the first one,” he said.

“Maybe that’s because it was new and nobody knew when it would be over, but we had a lot of repair work to do when people came back to the barbers (in July of last year) .

“This time people just seem to have left her, we faced mountains of hair last week.”

But Joey said that only added to the challenge of being a barber, and he and his coworkers found they really enjoyed having their skills put to the test.

“Usually people come to us every two weeks to a month, guys like to stay fit these days.

“But, for us as barbers, really grown hair or a barnet that has been badly cut at home is a lot of fun. It makes the job more enjoyable, weirdly.

Despite tremendous growth and sloppy DIY jobs, Joey and his co-owners Adam Durrant and Jake Dawes have always been successful in reshaping their clients’ locks.

Joey said: “The difficulty usually depends on how long it has been since they hacked it. If it’s fresh you can get a little bit of trouble sometimes, but usually people come back after their mom or partner gets out. either tried a few weeks, or months ago, so we’ve always been able to save it.

“But they were less cut at home this time around. Maybe people were afraid to let other people do it after the first lockdown?”

“There was definitely some repair work the first time around.”

There was one client in particular who has stuck in Joey’s mind since he first came back to barbers last summer.

“One of our older clients came back after the first lockout. He’s a regular so we see him every month, he keeps his hair super groomed in a classic clean style.

“But, during the break, his partner had a chance. He walked in with real holes in his hair, right down to his head.

“We managed to get him back to where he was supposed to be, but it was a bit difficult.”

However, last week Joey faced the exact opposite problem. Rather than clients who had received particularly severe cuts from partners armed with razors, they instead encountered a line of clients whose long locks were in desperate need of love.

“There were people who came to see me for four or five years,” Joey said.

“With the rules of the day, people have to wait outside. I’ve had people who stood out and literally didn’t know who they were, they didn’t look like the same people.

“With a lot of them, I’ve never seen them with full grown hair before.”

Joey and the team are soon returning them to their usual style. And the hairdresser said it was great to have clients again.

“It was a great little week back,” said Joey.

“The past year has been difficult for us, as well as for other barbers and small businesses in general. But we are lucky with what we do, barbers are one of those services that people have really missed – us and the pubs.

“When we get back to work, there is a real buzz surrounding our industry. It’s exciting for us and our clients, knowing that everyone will be grateful for their haircut is an incredible feeling.

“Last week was one of the best weeks I have ever had in the store. Everyone is optimistic, I don’t know if it’s because pubs, barbers and gyms are back, people are hoping it’s the last lockout, but there is good energy. Everyone is positive. ”

The Terrace Barbers are the trio’s latest addition to their ranks, with the three also running several other businesses in Brighton.

The shop is based in the same building as the Ruby Pub, which allows them to be able to offer beers to customers while they wait for their haircuts.

It was to welcome its first customers last March, but the grand opening was postponed by the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis.

“We created it to be a real social center, a community space where people come to chat,” said Joey. “Everything was ready to go and in good condition.

“Then being told that social distancing was coming and people had to wait outside until it was their turn was a real blow.

“But, starting in June, that’s when we’re really going to start moving forward.”