He moved 500 miles to Scotland because he found people in the south of England too pessimistic.
Now Alex Goode is optimistic for the future as his Perth barber shop marks one year in the city.
After falling out of love with his career as a business consultant, Alex, 37, pursued a childhood dream of becoming a barber six years ago.
He worked in three shops in West Sussex to gain the experience and skills he needed to set up on his own.
He travelled hundreds of miles to set up OiOi Barber Co in Perth.
Three hours to fall in love with Perth
The move north was due to a desire of his partner Kristine Bome – despite never visiting the country before.
“I’m originally a London boy, so I like city life but Kristine is from Latvia and she enjoys the outdoors so Perth is ideal,” he said.
“The culture down south is a bit pessimistic where the Scottish culture is very pragmatic. People are amazing up here.
“When Kristine said she fancied Scotland we literally got out a map. We were looking at Perth, we were looking at Dunfermline.
“Kristine and her mum went to Scotland for a long weekend. She was in Perth for about three hours and I got the text saying we’re moving to Perth.”
OiOi product range
The couple originally planned to move from Emsworth to Perth in May last year but the pandemic delayed the move.
Alex moved in October and opened OiOi the following month. The Princes Street premises were formerly Hair Extension Lounge.
Despite having to close due to Covid-19 restrictions at the start of this year, Alex has quickly built a client base.
He has also started selling OiOi products, which Alex developed for three years.
The range includes hair gel, tea tree shampoo, beard oil and hair gum that smells like bubblegum.
Barber praise for support from Perth people
Alex is proud of his achievements in his first year in business.
The Perth barber said: “It’s our first business, in a brand new area, starting from scratch in a very competitive industry.
“It’s grown through word of mouth, it’s like a snowball effect.
“It’s understanding your clients and what we can do to exceed their expectations.
“We’re incredibly proud of how far we’ve come and what we’ve achieved so far.
“We are also incredibly thankful and grateful for the love and support of Perth people.
“It’s a shop for everyone – it’s just a nice place to be.
“The success is down to taking things back to basics. I want to give the best haircut you’ve ever had every single time.”
