Sam Arthur has been cutting hair in his North Belfast shop since he was 17-years-old.
Now, 34 years later, Sam's Barber Shop is still thriving by dishing out a variety of hair cuts to people who travel from all over.
But it's his unique mod cuts, many of which he created himself, that have people travelling from the likes of the Republic of Ireland, Vienna, and the rest of the UK on a regular basis to see Ireland's only Grand Master Barber.
Sam told Belfast Live about how it's been working in the Tigers Bay area since 1987, and what makes his shop so special.
He said: "I cut hair in my mum's house from I was 14. I was a mod from then, and would cut my mates' hair, and they all still come to me from then.
"I started off as a hairdresser in 1986 then we opened up in here in 1987 and we haven't looked back. I own this building, I rent out the shops below us. We've done all the competitions there are, we've won them all. All-Ireland champions four times, the shop itself won Northern Ireland Barber Shop of the Year in 2015.
"I've had customers coming in for 30 years. Back in the day, we had everybody in here. During the Troubles I would think, flip me, if he knew what he was working at.
"We've found that even if people move away, we're still cutting their hair. No matter whether they've moved to Glengormley, East Belfast, Whitehead - they still come back for their hair cuts.
"I even have regular customers coming from down South, from Vienna every 6 months, loads come over from England and Scotland.
"What sets us apart is the care and attention we give. The size of this shop, and I'm the only one cutting hair. I've six chairs, and I need all six chairs. Your reputation is everything."
Over the years, Sam said he's seen many changes in the Tigers Bay area, and believes that more positive changes need to be made to give the area a lift.
The 51-year-old added: "A lot of houses have been knocked down. We had three schools here, and now we have none. Once the schools go, then the shops go, then the Grove baths went. They say they're going to build but they don't.
"I used to deliver papers around here when I was a kid. There used to be big rows of houses, and you knew everybody. See now, it's desperate. Right down into Mountcollyer and Skegoneill, it's wasteland. I don't care who goes into them, I just want people back into houses to lift the area a bit. If they bring the people back, they'll bring more of a community back.
As well as running his shop, Sam is passionate about educating. Four years ago, alongside the British Master Barbers Alliance, he began to go into prisons around Northern Ireland to teach barbering.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, he was also running regular classes in his shop.
"It's the only course in the UK for barbers who are outside coming into prisons to work," Sam continued.
"The prisoners love it. I've opened four barber shops in two prisons. The first two we opened were in Hydebank, and it was that successful, we had to extend it - there were just too many people wanting to do it. The other one was Maghaberry, and it's been extended twice too.
"It's none of my business what they've done, and I'd never ask them. There's Loyalist prisoners, Republican prisoners, and they're all in the barber shop together. The banter's brilliant because they're all wanting to learn and better themselves.
"If I can put two or three different guys down a different path and make them into better people, rather than a life of crime - that's enough for me. I do it for free - It's something I'm passionate about."
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