"When we got here, Water Street felt a bit empty", says Neil Palin.
Co-director of Oriel Close Barbers, found in Water Street's Oriel Chambers, Neil and his business partner Luke Gorman took over their unit during the first coronavirus lockdown and opened in August 2020. Since then he has witnessed plenty of change on one of Liverpool city centre's oldest streets.
He added: "Gaucho wasn't here, the India Buildings renovation wasn't finished, Newz Bar was empty. There were some good independents, but there wasn't a lot else."