A Pembrokeshire barber is celebrating 20 years as the owner of the business set up by her auntie nearly half a century ago.

Ali Hagan, who started her working life as a teenage ‘Saturday girl’, is now barber to the third generation of her family’s clients.

Now 54, Ali first entered the then male-dominated world of barbering when she went to help out in the Pembroke Main Street salon opened by her auntie, Linda Kromrei, in 1977.

In the intervening years, the shop moved to its current location in a former ironmongers’ at 75 Main Street, and Linda retired in 2000.

She sold the business, which then came up for sale again in 2004, when it was bought by Ali, now fully qualified in barbering.

And there could be no more appropriate name for her new venture than Ali’s Barber Shop!

December 3 marks the date of the 20th anniversary of the opening of Ali’s Barber Shop, “but I think we’ll be too busy to do much else but work,” admitted Ali, who is helped by invaluable colleagues Jess Williams, Jordan Hart and Jess Jones to keep the shop open six days a week.

“The time has gone very quickly, I can’t believe we’re now looking after the third generation of customers," Ali added.

The festive decorations are up at Ali's Barber Shop!The festive decorations are up at Ali's Barber Shop! (Image: Ali's Barber Shop)

"It's been a bit stressful over the years, especially with Covid and the way things have changed since then, with hairdressers going mobile and a lot of other barbers setting up.

"It's now more about the whole pampering experience." 

"But it's nice to know that our customers and their families have kept on coming back to us over the years - and we look after clients right across the age-range, from nine months old to 98!"