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30
Jul
Russian barber realises dream with new shop in Harrogate
A new barber’s shop with a vintage Yorkshire theme has been opened in Harrogate – by a Russian.
When Vadim Sagin, 32, launched The Old House Barber on Otley Road on Tuesday (July 28), it was the fulfilment of a long-held dream.
He told the Stray Ferret:
I first had the idea of opening a barber’s shop six years ago, and I was always thinking ‘next year, next year’ – but next year never comes! You could wait until you’re 60 and never have taken any risk. So, I just decided to do it.
The Old House Barber on Otley Road.
Mr Sagin, who is originally from St Petersburg and has relatives in Ukraine and Moldova, first came to Harrogate 10 years ago, and now lives in the town with his wife and their young son.
He said:
I was visiting a friend here, and I really liked it. It was clean and beautiful, with lovely people. It reminded me of home, so I stayed.
His two-room shop is decorated in traditional style – foxhunting scenes and pheasants feature prominently – and even the newspapers in the waiting area date from the 1980s.
Only the entertainment is modern – there's an Xbox for children and waiting customers.
The shop's temporary sign says simply 'barber', but a new sign is in the pipeline.
The shop is decorated in a traditional English style.
Mr Sagin said:
I’ve seen a vintage-style barber shop in London and really liked it, but they’re rare.
I’m not from Yorkshire, but I really love the Yorkshire vintage style, so everything in the shop is Yorkshire and vintage. If you’re from Yorkshire, I think you’re going to appreciate it.
Mr Sagin – known as Vad – first learned to cut hair from the age of 16, and now hopes his first shop will be the start of something bigger. He said:
I hope we can get busier, and in the future I’d like to open more shops, maybe in Ripon, or Leeds and York.
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