A BARBER shop which had its original opening plans foiled by the coronavirus lockdown is already expanding after a bumper two months.

Rogue Barbers was set to open the weekend after the country was put into lockdown in March, leaving the site empty for three months until James Harding was able to open on July 4.

James, 27, went back to college in 2018 to train to be a barber after being inspired to change careers from hospitality when living in Manchester.

He said: “It was disappointing not opening but it gave me that three months and then everyone obviously wanted their hair cut.

“We were very fortunate as we managed to open.

"A lot of established businesses have had to close down.

“Those who had barbers before that were booked up used us instead.

"The opening day was unbelievable with people queuing for about six hours.”

The shop, in Preston Old Road, Feniscowles, has already built up a good client base in the town.

Since the launch, James has got so busy that he is now looking to double in size and hire a second barber.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for about five or six years but I never knew what I wanted to do when I left school,” he said.

“I remember just walking past a barber shop in Manchester, obviously I’ve had my hair cut all my life but there was something about this barber shop that was really cool.

“I just thought, that’s what I want to do.

“I fell into hospitality at a young age so it was nice to have a bit of clarity and a career.”

Even though James was inspired by a very traditional barber shop in Manchester, he has decided to go for a contemporary theme inside his shop with lots of natural decor.

The shop was ready to go as the county were put into lockdown which was frustrating for James who had procedures in place to open the business since he viewed the property in January.

“I went to college with a guy who had a similar aim to own a barber shop so he rang me in January when this venue came up,” James said.

“We came to view it, it was excellent and it was a done deal from then really.

“My business partner doesn’t actually cut hair, he is a bit more of a silent partner with his office for his own business in the back of the shop,” he added.

James is hoping to keep expanding his business with plans to add another two chairs to his shop before the end of the year, as well as plans to open another site a few years down the line.