Step back in time to the 1950s with Grits Barbershop & Vintage Emporium

The new business, Grits, was set up by Joely Mackenzie, who grew up in Louth, and her fiancé Ryan McEntee, originally from Manchester, who is also known by his barber name ‘Dirty Cash’.

In an equal partnership with Joely’s parents Tracey and Jon, the 24-year-old couple opened Grits at the Louth Leader’s former office in Eastgate back in August, and they have quickly built up a loyal customer base and welcomed many new visitors through ‘word of mouth’ recommendations.

In the barbershop on the ground floor, Ryan - who has been described as a ‘perfectionist’ and an ‘incredible’ barber - offers traditional cut throat razor shaves with hot towels and steam, beard trims, and traditional gents haircuts, with a relaxed, friendly Fifties vibe throughout.

Joely told the Leader: “I’m from Louth, and all along I’ve thought there was a gap in the market for a classic, traditional barbershop.

“Those traditional values are very ingrained in Louth, and there seemed to be a lot of independent businesses sprouting up across the town, so I thought this was prime time to get in there and bring our own ‘Manchester city centre feel’ into Louth.”

Above the barbershop, the vintage emporium can be found - offering a huge array of clothes, accessories, toys and collectables from the 1930s, all the way through to the 1970s.

All ages and sizes are catered for, with stock coming in all the time. The business is also looking into selling stock online, although some items can already be found via their social media channels.

The upstairs section offers customers the chance to take a seat and relax with a book near the window, or explore the nostalgia in comfort.

Joely’s parents are very much involved in the business, with her dad Jon providing a restoration service for old or damaged photographs.

Jon runs another service upstairs, ‘Reel To Real’, in which customers can choose any film or era and Jon will provide the relevant costume.

The customer then has the opportunity to wear the costume and have a photo shoot, and in post-production Jon will use his ‘photoshop’ skills to make the resulting images look as though the customer is really in that scene or era.

Grits always give a warm welcome to everybody, including young families, with baby changing facilities on offer and a ‘breastfeeding friendly’ policy in place.

Grits can be found at 44 Eastgate, and you can also get in touch on 01507 607847 or via their Facebook page.

You can also find them on Instagram by searching for @Grits_barbershop and @Grits_vintage.