Ayr’s oldest barber’s shop has re-opened this week under new ownership.
And it’s hoped that Bowie’s Gentleman’s Barber, in the town’s Carrick Street, remains a cut above the rest.
The new owner is Ayr’s Ann-Marie Kelly, who previously worked in the shop for 12 years until the previous owner decided to cut their ties.
As a result, Ann-Marie is now the new proprietor and she is determined to make her first business venture a soaraway success.
Ann-Marie said: “My first day was on Tuesday (June 6) and it’s good to be back open, so I’m excited.
“Bowie’s Gentleman’s Barber has been here since 1957, it’s the oldest barber’s in Ayr, and I just felt that you can’t let something like that go. So this is my first business and I’m just excited to see what the future holds.”
Ann-Marie, who stays in Prestwick, is now on a mission to help improve footfall in the Carrick Street area, which has been hit hard over the years with the likes of the economic downturn and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Obviously the street could be improved and that’s my next mission,” she admitted.
“We do have a lot of empty shops in Carrick Street and there’s the Kyle Centre too, so hopefully we can encourage more businesses to come back to the town centre.
“I worked in Bowie’s for 12 years before I took over and now I’m just trying to find my feet a wee bit."
Generations of Ayr men and boys will have visited the business, which boasts traditional frontage, over the years for a short back and sides.
And Ann-Marie is determined to keep the traditional barber’s ‘feel’ to Bowie’s, so that those countless gents come back in their droves.
She said: “Everybody in Ayr will know of Bowie’s and that’s a good thing. Now I just want the business to go from strength to strength.”
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