Barbers and baristas ramp up retail activity to satisfy demand for cut and a cuppa

COFFEE and cutthroats. Look in any nook and cranny of Queensland’s retail market and you’re a good chance of finding one or the other.

CUT ABOVE. Bou's For Men barber shop owner Simon Bou-Samra, who has expanded his Portside Wharf store to offer barista-made coffee and snacks.

COFFEE and cutthroats. If you look in any nook and cranny of Queensland’s retail market these days you’re a good chance of finding one or the other.

In the case of a recently expanded tenancy at Brisbane’s Portside Wharf you’ll now find both.

Specialty barber shop Bou’s for Men has doubled in size to meet growing demand for barber services as well as satisfy customers’ thirst for barista-made coffee.

It’s a sign of the times, with baristas and barbers continuing to occupy more and more retail space across the city.

The Portside Wharf store is one of three barber shops run by local businessman, Simon Bou-Samra, who also has stores on Edward St in the CBD and in Logan.

His flagship barber shop at Portside Wharf is the first to be transformed into his new ‘coffee and cutthroat’ concept after he secured the next door tenancy, expanding the space to 83sq m.

Alongside its boutique barber services, the store also offers specialty coffee and food — including chef-prepared snacks from Mr Bou-Samra’s neighbouring noshery Atalanta.

“These additions have been a real progression for the business,” he said.

Industry sources say retail space in the Northshore Hamilton precinct fetches $800-$1000/sq m gross.