Our Story

He left school in the millennium and decided he wanted to chase the limelight and become an actor – so like most out of work actors he started working in a bar and a call centre to cover his drinking habits! On his rare days off he would spend time at his friends barbers. His friend constantly told Alex about how relaxed the hairdresser lifestyle is - and how many women he could pull if he became a female stylist. After a long hard think…2mins, Alex joined a unisex salon in Manchester, and started right from the bottom, sweeping hair, making brews and generally being bossed around.

ALEX SHORE

FOUNDER

Luckily for Al he got taken under the wing of a Vidal Sassoon trained stylist and he was doing graduated bobs and asymmetric cuts' in no time. Al says ‘when I was training, I would cut and colour all my friends and families hair in my mum's kitchen, not too good when she was trying to cook!’

After what seemed like a decade of grafting Alex made it as a stylist, but he soon wanted a new challenge, so decided to move his talents to mens hairdressing which he continued to do until he could save up enough to take a year out and going travelling with his girlfriend Kim.

‘While I was away, I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do with my life, and I knew I didn't want to work for anyone – I wanted to be my own boss, so I thought about what kind of salon I wanted to open and how I was going to make that happen’ Alex recalls.

Whilst living in Australia Alex worked at a quirky Men's Hairdressers in a corner of Sydney. He really liked the relaxed feel about it and felt that they had something unique. He got himself a notebook and started writing down all his ideas;

If Carlsberg made men's hairdresser….?

Alex said ‘My priorities were to always create a unique experience for the client whilst still having an amazing place for someone to work. I wanted the place to look Boutique, Vintage, Relaxed and Quirky with self-indulgent features like Men's Magazines and the latest computer consoles’

After an incredible trip, Alex was ready to get to work on opening his own salon. He borrowed the money he needed to make it happen from his Grandparents, and with the help of his friends he set up Close.