Name: Clare Barker

Business name: Clare’s Cut Hut

Opening hours: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9.30am until 3.30pm

Address: Oswestry Market

When did you open your business and why?

I STARTED about six years ago I opened my business. I have a child with a disability, so working the hours I do for three days a week was perfect for me. I started hairdressing when I left school – I qualified when I was 20 and it was something I always wanted to do.

Why in this location?

I HAD a stall at Oswestry Market years ago selling bits and bobs when I was starting to get back into work, and I just absolutely loved it there and fell in love with the atmosphere.

There’s another lady there who had a salon and I worked in there to cover her while she was away, and then I moved into another shop there and everything fell into place.

It’s really nice there and we call it the ‘market family’, and that’s exactly what it is.

It definitely helps having a family of traders. I mainly started working there to get out and about and start working again, but the fact it started to do well as a business was just an added bonus.

Tell us about your business

I STARTED off doing hairdressing for men and women, and I worked cutting hair in the Forces when my husband worked there.

I worked in the barbers there and travelled around a lot and I enjoyed it.

I ended up doing barbering after that and when the opportunity came up to have a place at the market, it was perfect for me.

Having children helps because I have always cut their hair. I cut my son’s hair and so I have a lot of children coming to me who have disabilities to get their hair cut. I am also able to do sign language as well.

I have the understanding of the situations of children with special needs, and that will often make the parents comfortable around me, which I can imagine is a good thing.

I like having the opportunity to socialise there and get out and see people. It’s great to have the flexibility here.

I was always more arty and sporty when I was in school and I fell into a job doing hairdressing really.

It was something I took to like a duck to water really and I really enjoyed it.

The lady I was working for at the time spotted that I had a talent and encouraged me to go to college, and I haven’t really looked back since then.

What is your proudest moment?

Originally, I really wanted to have my own business and with the way things were I was never really able to.

But when the opportunity came up in Oswestry, I had to think about it a bit and after deciding to take it on, it’s just the fact that it’s yours which makes you feel proud.

It’s your own business and it’s quite an achievement.

On top of that, I have had a lot of people contacting me asking if they can be booked in for a haircut after lockdown restrictions allow which is really nice.

Any strange requests?

Not many that stand out, no.