Haircut sir?

As any man will tell you, they don't just go to the barbers for a haircut - it's a valuable space to talk about all sorts of things - and that's just the way Tom Wright of CAYA in Burscough likes it...

Nestled in the corner of the busy Merlin Business Park off Ringtail Road, his quirky Portakabin barbershop is another addition to the growing number of businesses in the local area and this week he told QLocal reporter Roger Blaxall his story:

Tom said: "I studied my craft under a great barber named James Pilkington from PJ Barbers in Leyland where I did my apprenticeship and then progressed to becoming a full time barber.

While there I also went and studied under Vikki Smith for two months in Newcastle at SB Barbers she's a brilliant educator who furthered my education in the industry and helped me gain my next qualification.

I then moved into Manchester which was sadly cut short by Covid lockdowns.

Once everywhere opened up I moved into Southport to work for Rory at Realtalk Barbershop for a year then on to Ormskirk for a further two years before my final stop, Burscough, my stomping ground, and that’s when Caya Barber Co was born.

The inspiration behind the name CAYA is actually an acronym for 'Come As You Are' because I wanted to create a brand and a shop that revolved purely around the customer, a complete judgement free environment where they could visit in their truest form.

It's A place where they could release the stresses and pressures of day to day life, relax, practice the art of great conversation, listen to some good music and try and make sense of this funny old world we live in and leave feeling better than they did when they walked in.

I see it as an alternative form of therapy. It’s what influenced me to become a barber in the first place, as an active advocate of mental health and openly admit to having my own struggles I found mental clarity in the barbershop, an honest hub of the community.

Being a barber gives you a great insight to the local community and wider than the a well rounded perspective of social, political, local and current affairs you here bits from all walks of life and helps me gain a deeper understanding of the local community and what keeps Burscough ticking.

Not only that but some dodgy footy takes, and some questionable music requests and a few laughs in between.

I’m very proud to be a barber especially being able to run a small business in the area I called home for so long and the support I’ve received from the local community has been nothing short of astounding.

I hope I can continue to grow into a bigger premises and employ and train a few eager local junior barbers whilst keeping the Come As You Are ethos very much at the forefront of the business."

Please note: book in advance - CAYA is by appointment only via booksy.com