James Austin opens barber shop in Pontypool

James Austin opened Austin & Co Gentleman’s Barbers on Commercial Street on Saturday, March 12.

Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic Mr Austin decided he wanted to open his own shop - and as soon as he saw the space at Old Market House he knew this was the place to launch his own business.

James Austin at his new shop in Pontypool. Picture: James Austin.

He had previously worked as a hairdresser at Split Endz in Pontypool for around three years, before deciding to branch out into men’s hair too. During this time, he was nominated as a finalist for a Wales-wide barbering award.

He moved to Lazarou in Cardiff, where he worked for around five years.

“That’s where I learnt a lot of my barbering,” he said.

“Since Covid I thought I didn’t want to be commuting to Cardiff every day.

“I saw they were encouraging businesses to come into Pontypool town centre.

“As soon as I saw the shop I loved it. It’s one of the oldest shops in Pontypool, which I didn’t know.

Inside Austin & Co Gentleman's Barbers. Picture: James Austin.

“It was a little bit scary but I thought if I didn’t go for it now when I’m young, I might not ever do it.

“I opened on Saturday, March 12. It’s been going really well. I’ve even had some of my customers from Cardiff come in.”

You can find out more here, or by visiting Austin&Co on Facebook.