Shops, pub gardens, and barbers reopen in Havant town centre as some lockdown restrictions lift

Non-essential shops, hairdressers, barbers, and pubs with beer gardens opened their doors in the Meridian Centre, Solent Retail Park, and the streets surrounding the town centre.

The sales team at New Look on West Street were excited to be back at work today.

Manager Lisa Jones, who has worked at the shop for 16 years, said: ‘It’s a little bit quiet but we’re all glad to be out seeing people, socialising with our customers.’

With Lisa was Kallie Harris, sales advisor, who has worked at New Look for a year, and supervisor Kellyanne Gordon.

Kellyanne said: ‘It’s great to be back, I can’t wait to get back to the social side - talking to our customers, building up a relationship with our regulars.’

A busker brought music to the town centre, playing his guitar and singing to shoppers as they walked down West Street.

Havant-based singer and songwriter Joe Bradwell, 19, who attends Chichester College, performed outside Costa.

Horndean Katrina Othen, owner of Beautiful Me, said that the East Street beauty salon was fully booked out not only for the day but up until the second week of May.

The owners of the Button Up Baby shop on North Street celebrated five years of their business yesterday, before reopening to the public this morning.

Couple Martin and Crystal Young, who live above the store, are excited to be serving customers again.

Martin said: ‘It’s surreal, we’ve spent more time closed than open over the last year, but we’re happy to have got through and survived.’

Crystal added: ‘It has been hard, really difficult, but we’re delighted to be open.

‘We’ve hated not being able to see our customers, to meet them and get to know them.

‘We’re really looking forward to having a happy, normal shop life back again!’

Among the shops welcoming customers is a new hair and beauty parlour, which opened its door for the first time today.

Family business Salon Dolly on West Street is open to customers looking for nail and hair treatments.

Mollie Warton, 42, is the salon’s director and owner, and her daughter Laci Anderson, 18, is the salon manager.

Nail technician and beauty therapist Jordan Hale, 21, is hard at work on her first day at the new salon.

Jordan, who lives in North End, said: ‘After a year of not working, I’m excited to get back to work!’

She was working on a new set of white nails for 12 year old Layla Barthaud from Havant, who said she was excited to be in the salon.

Mum Louisa Barthaud, 38, said: ‘This is a treat for Layla as her birthday was in lockdown.

‘I’ve had my nails done too.’

There were queues outside of Ian’s Barbers on Park Road and Jim’s Barber Shop on South Street as people waited for walk-in hair appointments.

Several pub-goers were sat in the beer garden of The Parchment Makers.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, for 27p a day.