Just before 9am each morning Zaf Akdogan normally enjoys a coffee before preparing to open Sweeneys Barbers on Fishmarket Road in Rye.
On Tuesday, December 3 he was late to the shop and avoided seeing a car crash into his premises, leaving the building damaged and the barbers closed for over a week. The shop has now re-opened with Zaf hoping for a busy run up to Christmas to make up for lost trade.
Luckily no-one was seriously hurt. “I got calls straight away asking where I was and was I alright. When I arrived the police were on the scene and the driver looked pretty shocked. It was freak accident. Absolutely crazy.”
He praised the community for the support he has been given. “People have been great offering help. I’ve only been here 18 months but so many people have got in touch. My neighbours. My customers. Everyone.”
“It’s a really tight knit community which is so different to other places I’ve worked. I’ve even been offered chairs at other barber shops so I can continue working.”
Less great though has been the lengthy delay in getting shop back open. “The damage to the building looks worse than it actually is so it’s been really frustrating. I’ve just been waiting around for people to declare the building safe and allow me to get working again. I’ve been texting and calling constantly.” As well as structural repairs, the shop window will eventually need replacing.
He says the location is good for business but says more could be done to prevent more accidents. “You hear cars beeping all the time and they go across the roundabout at quite a lick. I’d like to see bollards out the front to make the pavement safer, but that’s not down to me.”
You can find more about Sweeneys Barbers at 74 Fishmarket Street in Rye here.
Image Credits: Carolyn Gould , James Stewart .