Roaming barber gives the shop the chop

A FORTY-three-year career has led a local barber to take to the open road, but not as a retired nomad searching for sun.

In his mobile barbershop Glen Matheson regularly occupies a patch of asphalt at the Rotary Park in Kangaroo Flat, after shutting his brick-and-mortar shop three years ago to start a travelling business.

“We had a shop in Golden Square for about 10 years where we were paying rent and rates and all that sort of thing forever,” Mr Matheson said.

After seeing other mobile hairdressing services, Mr Matheson’s partner raised the question of whether ditching the shopfront for something on wheels would be viable.

“I was sort of yes and no at first and then I had a bright spark idea and thought, what about a van? You know, do the mobile thing but actually work in the van,” he said.

Mr Matheson will go to clients houses by appointment one day a fortnight and either work from the van, or for the less mobile or elderly go inside their home to cut their hair.

“That’s what I had planned to do at first, but people being people it just sort of evolved,” he said.

“You get tradies and a lot of people that say ‘well where are you going to be today, I’ll come to you’, but I don’t know where I’m going to be so if I park up somewhere and you come to me.”

His regular spot at Rotary Park allows him to be seen by potential new clients as they drive along High Street and his regulars now know where to find him.

“It’s been really good and as I say, instead of paying everybody else’s bills and mortgages off for them and paying their rents, you can sort of try and keep most of it for yourself,” he said.

The van is set up with all the necessities of an old-fashioned barber shop including a working sink, leather barber chair, mirror, and a TV playing classic rock.

“You do tend to get a lot of stories,” he said. “You know we talk a lot of cars and bikes and try not to get into too much politics and that sort of thing but yeah, very barbershop-ish.”

Mr Matheson is parked up in his van at Rotary Park most days of the week for drop-in appointments.