A cafe in St Clement's which has closed is being turned into a barber's shop.

Zuzanna Mohsen took a gamble in August 2021 by opening Lost Coffee and More during a pandemic.

Soon loyal customers were returning on a daily basis to enjoy the coffee, relaxed atmosphere, cakes, pastries and banana bread.

READ AGAIN: Lost Coffee attracts rave reviews 

But now a decision has been taken to turn the cafe into a barber.

The lease of the former cafe is owned by the owners of Oxford Market Barber in the Covered Market.

A spokesman said: "It's a shame the cafe has closed - it was great while it lasted - but we know how to run a barbers' shop and we will be opening soon - possibly on Monday, and then we will be open six or seven days a week.

"There will be the same staff and same great service as the Market Barber and maybe the prices will be a little bit cheaper."

Oxford Mail:

The Covered Market Barber was given a modern makeover in 2020 just before the pandemic struck.

READ AGAIN: Oxford Market Barber is busy with customers 

Manager Louise Marler said in September 2021 the new look has been welcomed by customers.

She added at the time: “Sometimes August can be a quiet month but it has actually been quite busy this month.

“Of course you can make an appointment but a lot of our trade is walk-ins.

“Perhaps during lockdown people got out of the habit of having their hair cut so often but I’m glad to say we are busy.

“Quite a few of our customers are students, so that will also give us a boost when the students start coming back for the new academic year.

“They might not need a haircut straight away but it won’t be long before they are all turning up.”

Oxford Market Barber was bought by new owners just before the coronavirus pandemic.

READ AGAIN: Pub landlords toasted for 25 years of service

The Covered Market business was known to some shoppers for its Oxford United memorabilia but was given a radical makeover.

Half of the shop was covered with material relating to the Yellows but this was removed to allow for more space.

More than £100,000 was spent on securing and refurbishing a unit that has been in the market for almost half a century.

Staff placed additional emphasis on the business’s social media pages including Instagram, to boost its online presence, in addition to the smart new look.

Mrs Mohsen had been in the hospitality industry for many years before she opened the cafe.

Oxford Mail:

She said in January last year: "We opened in August and then of course the new variant came along after that so things were a little quiet in December.

“There are already customers who are regulars and I’m very grateful for that.

“Students and office workers can come here and plug in their laptops - we see that quite a lot.”

Read more from this author

This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF