A father has opened an Only Fools and Horses-themed barber shop in his back garden, after costs soared too high for him to maintain a high street store, and says the customers have been flooding in.
Nathan Scotford, 42, from Kent, closed his barber shop nine months ago and now runs Cushty Cuts in a specially-built cabin behind his Folkestone home.
He decided to move his business into his garden after costs skyrocketed by 30 per cent – meaning he would have to make over £2,000 each month before he could even turn over a profit.
The father-of-three decided this was unsustainable and so when a friend and long-time client suggested he move his business home, he thought he’d give it a go.
Mr Scotford said: ‘I was coming up to the end of a ten-year leasehold and needed to decide if I wanted to renew it.
‘I thought about how bills were going up – and about how the area of Folkestone I was in, which used to be thriving, had been forgotten over the last few years. Bookings weren’t booming as much as they were before Covid.
‘So I decided it was time for a new project. First, I spent some time hiring out a chair in different barber shops – but when a long-time friend and client said I should just work from home, I thought, ‘why not?”
Mr Scotford built a special 3.6m x 3.6m cabin fitted with brand new electrics and insulation.
It is decorated with his large collection of Only Fools And Horses memorabilia – a show which he says ‘resonates’ with him and his family.
The barber said: ‘I wanted to provide the same service and ambience to my clients, simply in a different location.
‘The cabin is like a mini house – with brand new electrics and insulation – and I’ve added something that resonates with me and my family with the Only Fools and Horses decorations.’
Business has been good so far as Mr Scotford has a loyal base of clients who have followed him in his new venture.
He said: ‘I don’t regret it at all. I absolutely love it.
‘I’ve kept my regular base of customers who have followed me over the last 25 years.
‘I couldn’t do any of this without them.
‘And I’ve got a 10 metre walk to work. So I’m doing my bit – keeping my commuting emissions down.
‘I’m just hoping to continue doing as I am and keep a cushty consistency.’