A TRIO of friends who met learning English at night school have set up a new business in Braintree.

George Yard Barber Shop, on Sandpit Lane, has been open for three weeks and is looking for customers to try out the new service.

The store is managed by Eduard Butnaru, originally from a Romanian town called Bîrlad.

Eduard came to the UK in 2009 and now works in the barber shop along with two other friends from Romania.

The George Yard Barber Shop specialises in scissor and crop cuts, and offers hot towel shaving for its customers.

Eduard said he and his colleagues met while at a night school in London, training as full time barbers.

He said: “I have had around six years of experience working as a barber, I’ve worked in some professional salons in London.

“I met some of my colleagues as friends, and we all studied English while working .

“We were working in different barber shops around London, but we decided to work together and come to Braintree instead.

“All of our barbers are very skilled people, and at the end of the day we want to make people and customers happy and to make them feel good when they walk out of the shop so they come back.

“Hair is definitely one way of doing that, and is the most important way of feeling good, so getting your hair cut right and cut properly is important.

“In George Yard Barber Shop we offer an extensive service, not an expensive service, that’s what we are about.

“What we say is quality over quantity.

“This means we’re offering haircuts at £10 each with no hidden costs, and we use our expertise and experience we have gained to make customer’s hair feel great.”

The barber shop is open seven-days-a-week from 9am to 6pm.

On Sundays the barber shop shuts two hours earlier at 4pm, but is open from 9am.

It is offering a reduced rate of £7 for pensioners and children.

Eduard said the move to Braintree was a big step, though he likes Braintree more than London.

He said: “In London the atmosphere is very different to that of Braintree, in that Braintree is quieter and there’s a supportive community, which is great.

“The people in Braintree are very nice and it’s a real community.

“So coming out to Braintree was a bit different for all of us, but we are excited about the future of the barber shop.

“All of the staff here, they put in such passion and we hope this will attract more people to come along and try us out.

“We came to Braintree to bring a professional London style service to Braintree.

“I encourage as many people to come along and try us, we have great hairdressing skills and customer service.”

The hidden gem is another one of Braintree’s special independent retailers.

Do you know an independent business we should celebrates? Email joseph.laws@newsquest.co.uk or call 01376 334337.