More Than Just A Haircut At Merthyr Tydfil’s Stylish New Barber Store
Male visitors to Merthyr Tydfil town centre can now get a haircut and shave, shop for stylish clothes and learn to DJ – all in the same venue.
Scott’s Barber Store is the versatile and glamorous latest addition to the town’s eclectic shopping offer, with customers encouraged to have a relaxing time – even shooting pool, listening to their own music playlists and throwing some darts.
The salon on Church Street is the latest business venture of Scott Lyons, who has branched out into Merthyr Tydfil after establishing his company in Abercynon 10 years ago.
“I looked at what the County Borough Council was doing with the town centre in terms of regenerating and dramatically improving its appearance, and saw there was a market for the shop here,” Scott said. It’s an exciting time to have a business in Merthyr – it’s the place to be.”
He employs four members of staff in the new shop, including three barbers at busy times and a trained DJ to give lessons. As well as stocking urban streetwear by some of the most popular brands, skateboard decks and clothing, he is also trialling smaller local labels and his own, self-designed range.
The 29-year-old started his business when he was just 19, deciding then that he wanted to be his own boss and also wanted to offer ‘more than just a haircut’.
Since opening six days a week in Merthyr Tydfil, appointments at the new store have been fully-booked Thursdays to Saturdays.
Scott was helped find his premises and has been supported in getting established by a network of local experts put together by a Welsh Government initiative, Effect (Enterprise facilitation for effective community transformation) Merthyr Tydfil Project.
“I had heard good things about the Effect project and contacted Jared Green, who manages it, as soon as I decided to look into the idea of moving to Merthyr Tydfil,” said Scott.
“Through the project, I’ve been introduced to property advisors, financial experts and also helped with access to funding. Effect has been amazing and was pivotal in my getting the new business started.”
Through Effect – and wider support from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council – Scott was also able to access a wider package of support including premises search and a retail grant of £2,660 from the Welsh Government’s Vibrant and Viable Places Programme (VVP).
Scott is among a series of aspiring entrepreneurs in Merthyr Tydfil, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Bridgend being advised by professionals from the private, public and voluntary sectors – with skills ranging from accountancy to marketing – to help develop their business plans.
Enterprise Facilitation was founded by Italian Dr Ernesto Sirolli, who devised it in 1985 as a way for local communities to support and help would-be entrepreneurs and existing small and medium-sized business. Since then, the model has been adopted in more than 250 communities worldwide.
“We’ve found that Effect helps communities to approach problems in a business-like manner, stimulates local passion and creativity to develop businesses that create jobs and produces visible success stories providing a tangible demonstration of what can be achieved to others in the community,” said Effect Merthyr Tydfil Enterprise Facilitator Jared Green.
“It has also been shown to consistently diversify the local economy, create a local network helping public sector partners engage with the business community and leave a legacy of entrepreneurial know-how among all participating partners.”
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