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 George Demetriou with his cousin Maria Ioannou in their new salon Coco-Marie |
Popular George is back for a cut above the rest
Fruit and veg man turns his business brain to hairdressing
A POPULAR fruit and veg man has returned to West Hampstead after a two-year hiatus.
George Demetriou, who owned Mill Lane Fruiterers for more than 20 years, has bought a hairdressing salon in the same street.
Mr Demetriou, 48, used to wake up between 2am and 3am five days a week while running his grocery shop.
He said: “I still wake up early but I miss the wheeling and dealing with the people. It’s not the money. I have customers who were always very polite – I respected them and they respected me.
“I miss the people of West Hampstead – it was my whole life,” the father of three daughters added.
Mr Demetriou has bought the salon for his cousin, Maria Ioannou, who has worked at her father’s hairdressers in Willesden, Steve’s, since she was 16.
She said: “George has been fantastic. I’ve got a really good feeling about this – I’m determined to make it work.”
During her 15 years as a stylist, Ms Ioannou has cut the locks of the Princess of Dubai, while legendary screen star Peter O’Toole only ever trusted his greying tresses to the hands of her father.
Mr Demetriou, who has moved into property development, should be welcomed back to West Hampstead – the last time he left loyal customers were so sad to see him go they organised a whip round and ended up sending him off with a set of solid silver spoons and bowls.
The salon, called Coco-Marie, will offer pensioners cut-price haircuts from Tuesday to Thursday. Ms Ioannou said: “No-one else does senior citizens. But we do everyone.”
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