05 Feb 2026
Sometimes in life it’s just a case of doing what you can for other people using the tools and resources at your disposal.
When Paul Lesnik, owner of 305 Barber Co on Holywell Hill, contacted the St Albans Times asking if there was anything we could do to help with his exposure in the city, it would have been easy to brush him off due to a lack of any meaty news angle to hang a story on.
But we have always championed our local independent businesses without expecting much in return, confident in our belief that a thriving retail marketplace is good for everyone, so decided to drop in for a chat to find out more.
Previously running the Headcase franchise in what is now Baruccio further up the hill, Paul opened 305 in the old extension of The Bishop’s Cave just over a year ago, a Grade II listed building with plenty of exposed brickwork and wooden beams.
The name was inspired by his love of the United States, and Miami in particular.
“I used to go to Florida a lot as a child with my parents and I always loved it, and was trying to think of a name that didn’t feel too barber-y, something short that you can put on a bottle or a box that isn’t difficult to remember.
“I was originally going to go for the whole Miami Vice pinks and greens for a slightly retro ‘80s feel, but obviously it wouldn’t work with this 600-year-old building! So I had to come up with something, and 305 is Miami’s zip code…”
Like many forward-facing businesses, he says the impact of the Covid pandemic has not entirely disappeared.
“Business hasn’t been the same since Covid, but it’s showing signs of improving. This past year was the best we’ve had since the pandemic, but although turnover’s a bit higher of course costs are going through the roof.
“Then you have times when you think, ‘Well where is everybody?’, there’s nobody outside. I’ve got a relationship with a few other barbers, but the trouble is that it’s a funny little industry where people like to pretend that they’re doing great all the time, even though I might drive past their shop every day and it’s dead.
“It’s good to be positive, otherwise people are going to buy into the negativity, but I do feel it’s a struggle to get noticed. Even where we were before, we were there for 10 years and people still didn’t know we were there.”
And that’s despite winning a finalist place in the 2024 St Albans Retailer of the Year Awards – one of just five hair and beauty outlets to make the list.
Paul said there’s a cyclical pattern to the business: “We always seem to be in this loop when winter comes and we’re hanging on by a thread, then you get to summer, and our busiest period is April through to the end of September, and you think you’ve cracked it until winter comes round again…
“I just think people just come more infrequently in the winter. Maybe they’re wearing a hat, they’re not going on holiday and there might not be all those things that guys get an extra haircut for like weddings, Christenings, bar mitzvahs.
“In the summer I imagine people are sitting in their little home offices, looking out the window, and wondering why they’re stuck inside. So they look for an excuse to go for a little walk, and while they might get a coffee they decide to have a haircut as well.
“Whereas in the winter it’s pissing down with rain, it’s thoroughly miserable and although you’d like to get some fresh air, it isn’t the day to be doing so.
“So we’re always thinking, ‘Is this the year we’re not going to make it?’ Like poor Emma over the road [the owner of recently closed homewear store Cositas].”
Many of the businesses on Holywell Hill say they feel somewhat isolated from the city centre – does he receive much support from the BID (Business Improvement District)?
“I’m going to be honest and say ‘no’, but that isn’t an entire ‘no’. I mean we were part of the Christmas trail, but I’m not sure that sort of thing helps us as it’s mainly children and mums who take part and they aren’t going to be saying ‘oh wow, a barbershop, let’s go in’… But Holywell Hill does struggle massively.”
Like many barbers, 305 uses an online booking system, and Paul can send out Monday morning reminders to let customers know when they have availability, particularly if six weeks or so has past and they are overdue a cut.
“I post on all the Facebook groups as frequently as I can without pissing anyone off, we dish out leaflets and flyers every now and then, but I don’t get invited to many openings or events in the city centre which makes me think, ‘Is it that they don’t like me? Is it just that they don’t think about me? Is it that I’m not pushy enough and didn’t ask?’
“What is it that I’m not doing in order to be part of the ‘crowd’?”
If you’re looking for a new barber and want to give 305 a welcome boost, drop in for an appointment or book online at https://www.305barberco.com/ – every customer helps, and after all, doing our bit to support the small independents is what St Albans is all about…
