Eketāhuna now has a barbershop for the first time since the last one shut down in the 1980s, and although Nick Olliver only opened the doors to his Stay Sharp Barbershop last month, his clientele is already steadily growing.
Since qualifying as a barber seven years ago in Auckland, Olliver has worked on his chops in Manawatū and, more recently, in Masterton.
Olliver told the Times-Age he decided to open a barbershop in Eketāhuna because he could see the potential market for it.
“It’s going to take a little while to build up clientele and everything, but I’m pretty confident,” Olliver said.
“I’ve had plenty of people in the industry say that they reckon it’s going to take off.”
Although it’s still early days, Olliver noted that his new Eketāhuna clients are similar to his old ones in Masterton clients: “Coming from farming communities, they’re laid back here,” he said.
Olliver’s presence in town already appears to have inspired one resident to think about picking up the scissors.
“I actually had someone last week approach me, saying that their son wants to get into it,” he said.
For young people who are looking to break into the barbering scene, Olliver recommends going to barber school to do their training.
“I think you really have to have the passion for it, be open-minded and willing to try new things, stick with trends, and keep up with what’s in at the time,” he said.
“It’s definitely a good career, and you can take it anywhere.
“Even if you go to a completely foreign country, the fundamentals are all the same at the end of the day.”
Next month, Olliver is planning to participate in Movember, an annual event that involves growing a moustache as a way of drawing attention to men’s health issues, including prostate and testicular cancer, and mental health – something he sees as part of his calling as a barber.
“I feel as though I hold a safe space for a lot of men to come in and talk or sort of vent. Not too many men have a safe space available to them,” Olliver said.
“Generally, what happens in the barbershop stays in the barbershop. It gives a lot of men and young boys a safe space to share their feelings and emotions.”
In the past, Olliver has had clients open up to him about their struggles, either because they feel safe talking to a stranger or as a result of building a rapport with a regular customer.
“Having gone through stuff myself, I feel like it’s a good platform to get men talking about stuff.”
Stay Sharp Barbershop,
40 Main St, Eketāhuna.
Monday – Friday, 10am–4pm and open every second Saturday.
