A COUPLE who fell in love with Winchester are opening a barber shop in the city with the hope of providing a welcoming and inclusive space.
Ellie Brenchley, originally from Salisbury, and Dylan Limon, from Australia, have been living in Winchester for two years with the dream of launching a business.
When Ellie and Dylan first met in Australia six years ago, one of the first things he said was that he was going to own a barber shop one day.
Finally, the pair are preparing to open LÍMON.Studio in Walcote Place in early December.
Dylan, 33, has been in the hair industry for 15 years and even worked as a national educator providing advanced training for barbers at True Fit and Hill and Men’s Biz in Australia.
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He said: “I will be glad when it’s done but we’re so excited to open. I have a home studio set up and have done some guest spots in London, to get a grip of what they are doing up there. All my customers are so excited.
"We’re trying to create something different. We’re somewhere in between a salon and a barber shop, more like the businesses in London with modern, inclusive barbering.
"The studio we have created is determined to redefine the barbering experience by taking a client-centric approach. The industry needs a language shift from customer to client.
"Clients buy tailored services and seek advice, while customers buy prepared products and services. We aim to bridge that gap and bring the luxury, city standard to Winchester.”
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Ellie, 24, will be carrying on her estate agency job in London while managing the new studio.
She said: "We are thrilled to be opening. We chose Winchester as the place we wanted to settle and it was quite a big deal for us to pick somewhere.
“It will be a barbering space for anyone and everyone. It’s going to be very light and feel quite spa-like and calming.
“We’re trying to recycle as much as we can as it helps keep our costs down but also boosts our sustainability.
“We have goals outside of barbering too. We want to establish a public community space for Winchester and beyond. Community has always served us and brought us together.
“We would love to have a gallery café. We’re both quite creative and we’ve got some incredible artists as friends whose work deserves to be put out there.”
LÍMON.Studio will have a team of three barbers, with the business looking to hire an apprentice in the New Year. The shop was previously occupied by urban clothes retailer Truth or Dare.
The barber shop will open at 5 Walcote Place from Monday to Saturday throughout December and then Tuesday to Saturday from January 1. For more information go to limon-studio.co.uk/.
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