Barber shop at the heart of Fareham celebrates 100 years in business

FOR MORE than 100 years, Stephen’s Barbers has been at the heart of Fareham.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The barbers is a staple of Fareham’s main shopping street, West Street, and it celebrated its 100th anniversary this month.

The beloved business was founded by stalwart Norman Haines in 1921, it’s still going strong, run by his grandson Steve.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Owner Steve, 71, and his brother Roger, 65, have been barbers since they were teenagers.

Trainee Matt at Stephen's Barbers, with Sean Haines behind and Adam Stoker.  Photos by Alex ShuteTrainee Matt at Stephen's Barbers, with Sean Haines behind and Adam Stoker.  Photos by Alex Shute
Trainee Matt at Stephen's Barbers, with Sean Haines behind and Adam Stoker. Photos by Alex Shute
Read More
Multi-million pound plan will see 70 homes plus luxury facilities and restaurant...

Steve, from Lee-on-the-Solent, said: ‘For us barbering is not a job, it’s a vocation, the years have gone by too quickly, 100 years of running a business is all about friends, not clients.

‘It’s not always been easy, we are so grateful to our customers, during Covid we had eight months with not a penny coming in, we put money back into the business.

‘When we opened again we had 28 people waiting in the queue.’

Sean Haines at Stephen's Barbers. Photos by Alex ShuteSean Haines at Stephen's Barbers. Photos by Alex Shute
Sean Haines at Stephen's Barbers. Photos by Alex Shute

Customers kept coming, Steve said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: ‘I didn’t have a lunch break for three weeks straight’.

However the pandemic forced Roger, from Stubbington, to revaluate and he retired due to health concerns.

He said: ‘I miss it terribly, it broke my heart to retire, I still wake up at 6am ready to open the shop.

Steve Haines of Stephen's Barbers celebrating 100 years of business with his brother Roger (right) and son Sean (left). Photo by Alex ShuteSteve Haines of Stephen's Barbers celebrating 100 years of business with his brother Roger (right) and son Sean (left). Photo by Alex Shute
Steve Haines of Stephen's Barbers celebrating 100 years of business with his brother Roger (right) and son Sean (left). Photo by Alex Shute

‘The best thing about this job is talking to people, you could not print our memoirs after all the years we’ve had talking with people, we’d be in prison.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘What is said in the barber shop stays in the barber shop.’

Steve and Roger believe their quality and honesty has been what’s kept customers coming back.

Steve said: ‘The biggest thing I’ve learned over the years is how to be diplomatic, we’ve seen all the haircuts over the years from hippies to peaky blinders.’

Steve Haines of Stephen's Barbers celebrating 100 years of business with his brother Roger (right) and son Sean (left). Photo by Alex ShuteSteve Haines of Stephen's Barbers celebrating 100 years of business with his brother Roger (right) and son Sean (left). Photo by Alex Shute
Steve Haines of Stephen's Barbers celebrating 100 years of business with his brother Roger (right) and son Sean (left). Photo by Alex Shute

Roger said: ‘We can’t have a customer with a bad haircut because they are our walking advert for the next six weeks, so if a cut is not going to suit them we have to suggest it very nicely.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The business has always been family run; after founder Norman Haines senior died aged 52 in the 1940s, his son Norman Haines junior took over the business.

The shop was originally called Norman’s Barbers and was in Lake Road, Portsmouth, but when this area was redeveloped in 1956 it moved to Fareham’s West Street.

In 1995, the business was compulsory purchased again when the centre of Fareham was redeveloped, and Norman’s son Steve, grandson of Norman Haines senior, moved further down the road and opened Stephen’s Barbers in 1996, the shop they are still in today.

The pair work with Steve’s son Sean, 49, and long-standing member of staff Adam Stoker, and trainee Matt.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They hope that Sean’s son Edward Harry, who is six, will also follow in the family tradition, despite not even having his hair cut yet.

The family have no plans on leaving their trade, however Steve said the biggest problem facing the industry is the lack of trained staff coming in.

Steve said he is grateful for all the support from his family and wife Jan, and his friends and customers over the years.

He said: ‘We want to say a big thank you to our customers over all the years.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They are planning a soiree in the shop to celebrate the anniversary with bubbly and a buffet.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

We’ve reduced the cost of digital subscriptions to our website by 50 per cent for a limited time.

You can now subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, for less than 13p a day.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.