Haircuts, a pint, and an odd-eyed dog: how brave gamble saw Magnolia barbering become a man palace in Chesterfield

“And he says ‘I’m an old famous darts player’ and I’m like ‘Oh? So, what’s your name?’ And he’s like ‘I’m John Lowe’. And I was like ‘I’ve not really heard of you’… He was alright. Needless to say I’ve never seen him again.”

Ollie Ward, 43, grins and shrugs, laughter filling the Magnolia Barbering shop from customers and staff alike, as Rudy the odd-eyed shop dog climbs on a leather sofa and looks out the window into Chesterfield High Street.

An upbeat of indie-pop backdrops the natter and buzz of shavers. A pint pot clanks the bar, punctuating a chuckle of customers awaiting a trim. Rudy flops on the sofa, brown eye closed, blue eye gazing out.

Ollie’s aim with his creation here? “To get nice surroundings for blokes to come and get their hair cut. And, you know, get pampered like women do in unisex salons.”

The characterful vibe in here is definitely welcoming. When asked where the name Magnolia Barbering came from, Ollie smiles.

“You might get me with a lump in my throat here. I lost my mum fourteen years ago. She said that she wanted us… me, my brother and my sister… to get magnolia trees, and when she got cremated she wanted us to scatter her ashes in the magnolia trees, so she could fertilise them.”

“So, when I decided I wanted to open up here, we were going through the names… and we were at a party and somebody said ‘Why don’t you just call it Magnolia?’ And me and my wife looked at each other and we just thought, that’s it, that’s the name. Hardly the most manliest of names, but it’s got more meaning, so…”

Meaning seems important to Ollie. Magnolia Barbering began in 2014, after a two year travel from his previous salon job, to becoming his own boss: a journey beginning with a recognition that most men would probably deny.

“It was starting to affect my mental health. So when my wife realised it was affecting my mental health, she was just like, ‘Right, let’s go for it’.”

The bravery of such a decision can only be admired, especially when Ollie underlines the gamble.

“I was going from a good salary that I was on, from the clientele that I’d got. I was booked up for six weeks. So I was about to take this leap of going from a ratio of 75% women and 25% gents… Cutting off a large percentage of my clientele, and just taking the smaller percentage.”

The hubbub of customers in here, the laugh and natter, would certainly suggest the gamble paid off.

“It’s definitely helped my mental health, doing the things I enjoy doing. And speaking to gents, it’s opened up lots of different doors. So when I was working in the female industry, and I was having my gents coming in, blokes didn’t open up… maybe a peacock effect?”

“Since I opened here, the same people that come in, open up about their mental health as well. It’s been brilliant. It’s opened up my eyes a lot more.”

Magnolia Barbers is open in every sense. Stood on the corner of the Chesterfield Market Hall, it offers a sunlit panorama of the back-end of town. Inside, the atmosphere is equally lit with a warmth of familiarity and humour.

Oscar Stuart, 20, poses for a photo by his (suspiciously self-made) ‘employee of the month’ award on the wall. A photo, he declares to the chirps of all, ‘to make his mum proud’. In the background, PJ Farrand, 35, looks up and smiles as he cuts a careful line on a gent’s trim. Keeley Ford, 33, chats happy at the bar to old fella Tezza and resident taxidermist Shane.

“Shane the stuffer?” Laughter fills the shop again. “I’ve not been called that before…!”

The conversation turns to community, the dynamic between the shop-keepers at this end of town. Ollie smiles.

“Everybody’s so friendly. We all stick together, and we all plug each other. If anybody wants cheese, I go ‘Get yourself off to Cheese Factor’. Anybody wants a nice sandwich, ‘Uppercrust’. Anybody want some nice whisky or gin, ‘Get yourself off to Ginspired’.

“Market pub, I love ‘em. Me and Douglas are good friends. And even when it comes to Sorbo, you know, its like ‘Uh, they’re a chain’ but the people that work in there are from Chesterfield. All the way round… we all plug each other. The rapport around this area, is amazing.”

And considering what Ollie has built here, what advice would he give?

“If you’ve got something in your mind, and you want to do it, stick to it. Put a bit of time into it, don’t rush into it. Keep going for it. There’ll be rough times, but the good times far outweigh the bad times. Push forward, push forward, push forward.”

And if Ollie had a time-machine, where would he go back to?

“Wowzers.” Ollie pauses. Grins. “I’d take myself back to the last Glastonbury I went to. In 2019. I went with two of my best mates, and my eldest son. And because the other three hadn’t done Glastonbury before, and it was my third time, I got to take them round. Saw absolutely loads. Blistering hot. Just amazing. That’s where I’d go…”

Ollie stops. Laughs. Waves a finger as though to say ‘hang on’.

“But other than that, I’m also going to have to drop in my wedding day to my wife. Because if she heard that she’d get really, really angry. Right. Just for the record. Wedding first. Then Glastonbury 2019… Sorry Jane.”

Magnolia Barbering: the place for a haircut, and a feel-good natter.