A young entrepreneurial duo are aiming to be a cut above the rest after opening their new, unique barber shop.

Natt Turp, 23, of Essex, and Joe Connolly, 25, of Thackley, opened their barber shop, Craftsman, to the public at the weekend in premises on Bingley Main Street which were previously empty for four years. Refurbishing the building saw a quick turnaround of a month and many customers were surprised at the work that had gone into it, according to Mr Turp.

And the business is aiming to be different from rivals, offering clients a range of complimentary drinks (from lager to whiskey) as well as a Playstation 4 with a 60inch 4K TV and a pool table in the waiting room.

Mr Turp explained that alongside this unique feature is their niche approach to their business.

Customers won’t just be offered the standard short back and sides and the Essex barber was on a £1,500 course a week before opening to enhance his knowledge and to keep on top of changing trends.

Asked what he would recommend right now, he said: “It’s tricky as there’s such a range. Maybe a mud cut or a standard crop fringe – they’re quite in with the youngsters at the minute.”

Wanderer, Mr Turp, has been in the industry for five years working all over the country, including Bradford – which is where the duo met.

He said: “Me and Joe worked together at a shop in Eccleshill and we were each other’s competition at first.

“Eventually we became quite good mates and realised we had the same kind of vision for what we wanted to do with our own premises – we used to plan on evenings.”

Planning continued, and the pair were waiting for the right kind of premises, according to Mr Turp.

That’s why, when they decided to take the plunge, Mr Turp described himself as feeling very excited but also nervous as they’d now put money on the line and weren’t sure of the outcome.

But, the response to their opening gave them reason to celebrate – perhaps with a complimentary beer.

Mr Turp said: “It was very overwhelming – we never expected the response we got. We were due to open at 10am but had to open earlier – at quarter to nine – because people were queuing around the corner.”

He added: “People told us they’d waited weeks just to get a haircut at our place.”

Craftsman even had a special guest turn up in the form of footballer Ben Whitfield, who is contracted to Bournemouth but plied his trade at Port Vale on loan last season. He presented the shop with a signed shirt and Leeds clothing brand, Oliver Sweeney, donated 25 gifts bags for the pair to give out.