Stallion Barbers founder Nick Trotin to open new barber shop in Maroochydore CBD

After being fired, deported and opening a store weeks before Covid-19, a resilient barber shop owner has landed his dream business.

Stallion Barbers founder Nick Trotin. Photo: supplied.

A Sunshine Coast dad says he’s opening his “dream” barbershop in a multimillion-dollar civic building in the new Maroochydore CBD after being fired, deported and facing Covid-19 while trying to start and run his brand.

Mountain Creek father-of-three Nick Trotin, 30, is the founder of Tuscan-style barber shop Stallion Barbers in Maroochydore, which started in an old store room in 2016.

Mr Trotin said he was relocating his popular brand into a $100,000 venue in the $100m Sunshine Coast City Hall along First Ave, Maroochydore by early June.

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Mr Trotin said his 135sqm barber will be the largest in the region with eight barbers and seats.

“It’s the ultimate fulfilment of a dream,” he said.

Inside Stallion Barbers in Aerodrome Rd, Maroochydore. Picture: supplied.

But he said it has been a challenging journey to get to this point, starting with him getting fired from his first job as a barber.

Mr Trotin, from Boston, United States, said he moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2011 and worked as a barber apprentice from 2014 to 2016 when he said he was fired not long after mentioning his dream to open his own barber shop.

Mr Trotin said he spent 16 hours renovating his first barber on the day he got fired, desperate to start trading to provide for his expecting newborn.

The dad said he was cutting hair only until May, 2017, when he then discovered he had accidentally overstayed his visa by eight days, and was forced to leave the country.

Mr Trotin said he and his family moved to Alaska until he gained entry back into the country and reopened his small barber in September, 2019, before making a “huge leap” to a second venue in March, 2020 - just in time for Covid-19.

Off the back of many challenges, the resilient entrepreneur said he was more than excited to move into his new barber shop.

He said the new barber would be a “level up” in comparison to his Aerodrome Rd store and include a licensed bar where the community could enjoy the social space, not just the handsome cuts.

He also wanted to open a dedicated barber-only collage someway.

Originally published as Stallion Barbers founder Nick Trotin to open new barber shop in Maroochydore CBD