Meds Barbers where Albion stars Adam Lallana and Bruno go

From Brighton legend Bruno to new summer signing Adam Lallana, the barbers in Western Road, Hove, has been welcoming footballers through its doors since 2013.

Even when The Argus visited, owner Rebin Rob was adding the finishing touches to Seagull’s midfielder Yves Bissouma’s fresh trim.

With a pair of scissors and a keen eye for detail, the barber took care to ensure not a single hair was out of place before adding the final detail – Bissouma’s signature eyebrow slit.

Rob took over the barber shop previously known as Bodrum Barbers in 2013 and rebranded to become known as Meds Barbers in 2015.

While the staff are now well acquainted with their more well-known customers, it has not always been that way.

“The first footballer’s hair I cut was Danny Holla when Brighton were playing in the Championship. We didn’t even know he was a footballer”, said Rob.

“We were chatting and I asked him where he worked and he just said he worked for Brighton.

“Then after he’d been in a couple of times, I saw a cup game between Arsenal and Brighton and I spotted him on the TV.

“The next time he came in I said to him ‘why didn’t you tell me you were a footballer?’ and he laughed.”

The hair and beard grooming expert has developed a good relationship with players, past and present, which keeps the footballers coming back.

Rob said: “They trust us to do a good job and that’s important. Being a barber is the same as with any job, you want to be the best, so it’s good that they keep coming back.

“They are a great team, they’re like a family. Every time they come in they are so friendly and just genuinely nice people.

“I love cutting all their hair and it’s sad that every year we have to lose some players.

“Like this year, Glenn Murray and Shane Duffy have left, which is sad but we get new players coming in too. Last week we had Adam Lallana come in.

“Every season is different and brings us new customers. All of them are very nice so it would be impossible to say who is my favourite.”

Just before lockdown Meds underwent a refurbishment and now their signed Albion shirts adorn the walls of the shop.

But the four-month closure meant they could not welcome customers into the new-look shop, and while their doors are open once again, it is still not business as usual.

“Lockdown was a really difficult time. The furlough scheme was helpful but we still had rent and bills to pay”, said Rob.

“When we first reopened we were so busy for about two or three weeks, then it went quite quiet and it still hasn’t gone fully back to normal.

“Sometimes we are very busy and sometimes we are quiet. Because of social distancing we only allow three customers to sit inside and wait for a chair.

“We didn’t have a booking system before the lockdown and now we have a new website that most of our customers make appointments through.”

Albion's Belgian ace Leandro Trossard

While the government has currently classified Brighton and Hove as “medium risk”, and has placed it in tier 1 category, Rob is concerned that a local lockdown would put more pressure on the business.

Rob said: “I know our customers are loyal and we wouldn’t lose them if we had a second lockdown because they still came back when we reopened the first time.

“But, as a business, it would hit hard because we wouldn’t be able to make any money to pay the bills and the rent here is quite expensive.

“The government support last time and the small business loan did help but I just hope that there will not be a second lockdown.”

Haircuts at Meds Barbers start at £14