Paradise Lost Barbershop owner Lee Power to sign over lease for Elizabeth St site free of charge ‘to right person’

Hobart barber Lee Power has made the unconventional decision to sign over the lease for his inner-city shop to whoever can prove to him that they’re the ‘right person’ to take on the business.

Lee Power, owner of Paradise Lost Barbershop, at 163 Elizabeth Street. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

It’s not every day that a business-owner offers up an inner-city commercial lease free of charge, but that’s exactly what barber Lee Power has decided to do – as long as someone is able to convince him that they have the best interests of his loyal customer base at heart.

Mr Power, 40, runs the Paradise Lost Barbershop on Elizabeth St and is planning to move to Burleigh Heads in Queensland to be with his wife again, who is supporting her family and studying there.

“It’s actually been the biggest decision of my life,” he said. “I’ve lived down here in Tassie for eight years now.”

Paradise Lost was established in 2016 and was originally located in a space beneath the Les Lees store on Liverpool St, before moving to the Midtown area of Hobart.

Mr Power, who has been working as a barber for 23 years, said he had loved every minute of his time cutting hair in the city and treasured the relationships he had formed.

“I think [Paradise Lost] offers a lot to heaps of people, as a sanctuary, as a place of inspiration,” he said.

Paradise Lost Barbershop owner Lee Power at Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

Although he originally went through a broker to determine his options for selling the business, Mr Power ultimately decided he was willing to sign over the lease – which still has three years left to run and four additional five-year lease options – for free to whoever he perceived to be the best candidate.

“I’m going to do a bit of a Willy Wonka thing here and give it to someone who deserves it,” he said.

“I’m no longer selling it, I’m just happy to give it to someone, some young [person], young barber or whatever, who is the right person for the job.

“I’ll sign them [over] the lease and they can just take it on and run it and love it.

“That’s the only way I feel like I could leave Tasmania with my head held high.”

Paradise Lost Barbershop owner Lee Power with a furry friend. Picture: Chris Kidd

Asked if there were any prerequisites the successful candidate needed to have, Mr Power said they should “respect the human condition, remain fluid within [their] identity and be as honest as the weather”.

He said he planned to enrol in a creative writing course at the University of Queensland in March next year and was looking forward to beginning a new chapter in his life.

But Mr Power won’t be leaving Tasmania until he finds the right custodian for his business.

“The moving is all dependent on when [the shop] goes. I’m not going anywhere until I can sign the lease [over to someone],” he said.

“Anyone’s welcome to come on in or call me or whatever. I want to meet them.

“If they want to come in and own the shop, it’s theirs as long as they’re honest about it.”