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An ingenious barber has found a way of running his business after being appalled at the state of renting a place - spending only £3,000 to get himself up and running. Harry Atherton-Kelly, 25, was horrified by the amount of rent he faced paying to open up a hair-cutting business. So he bought an old box for £1,500 on Facebook marketplace and then another £1,500 converting it into a barber shop. Now he is running the business by a roadside with dad David, 64, in Bury . Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE He spent six weeks renovating and costs have been kept low due to Harry opening on a council public road with a £10 per day generator. ‘H’s Barbershop’ has been getting “busier and busier” since opening day with passersby taking photos of the quirky trailer. Harry, a barber, from Ramsbottom , Bury, said: “I’d just got back from Australia because I was working out there for a year in some busy, busy shops. “The rent was ridiculous out there and also I wanted to see friends and family so I came back. “I worked in shops back home but I always thought of getting my own place but found people always wanted ridiculous rent or messed you about. “I thought there’s got to be a cheaper way to do this. “Me and my dad got talking - we did a lot of festivals and stuff together working in trailers and we were scrolling through Facebook Marketplace and saw the horsebox. “I spent £3,000 and made it exactly how I want it. “It’s doable, the average person can do this. “It’s a council road and a public road so all I’ve to do is register as a hairdresser and barber and that’s literally it. “Everyday has got busier and busier since I’ve been open. “It’s just something different isn’t it”. After he “hated” his old job as a truck mechanic, Harry’s mum Ruth, 56, suggested he try out the barbering course at Bury College. “I thought, let’s give it go,” Harry said. “I fell in love with it. “It changed my life from working jobs I hated to thinking oh my god I can go to work and feel excited about going to work. “I’ve been quite lucky – I've been barbering for three to four years and even though I did a year in Australia I had a few clients before I left and I’ve made a few since I came back”. Harry’s cosy workspace includes a seating area for two people along with his barber chair. In the future, Harry hopes to expand his business. “I actually have a few friends in Australia that are pretty keen to come over and put some money in to getting a shop together. “My other thought was after a year see how it’s going and get an old American van or vehicle and turn that into a barber shop too. “I could have a unique fleet of vehicles all converted into barber shops”.
