A NEWSAGENT, who was the last trader to leave a major Newcastle city centre site before it was re-developed, was guest of honour when a new business officially opened there this week (Thursday 12 Feb.)

Patrick Forster Barber and Shop has opened a second outlet, at STACK at Worswick Chambers, in a ground floor site opening onto Pilgrim Street.

And Vinod Jaidka, who was the last man to leave before development work started, was a special guest at the opening.

Vinod and his family had owned and run Oliver’s newsagents since 1969.

He kept his business going throughout various large-scale redevelopments of the city centre but during the Covid lockdown, he decided to shut up shop.

He hadn’t been back to the city centre until this week’s event but Patrick Forster – who also owns a barber shop at nearby High Bridge - said “he is just such a lovely man and so inextricably linked with city centre retail that it was only fitting he should be our VIP guest.”

Patrick, from Low Fell, opened his High Bridge barber shop 14 years ago and decided to open a second outlet having expanded his team to nine.

“We are very much a traditional barber shop,” he said, “and at our new site we will be expanding our service to include wet shaving, trims and beard sculpting and are offering an online booking service.”

As a regular customer at Oliver’s he became friendly with Vinod, tempting him out of retirement to attend his new shop’s opening. 

“It was always such a lovely community and we had a real rapport with everyone. Relationships were built there and we watched whole families grow up,” said Vinod

“I’m delighted the building has been given a new lease of life and I wish Patrick as many happy years here as we enjoyed.”

The flagship development at Worswick Chambers, Pilgrim Street is the largest STACK to date, with three floors featuring eight bars and eight independent street food units, an outside plaza with a stage and interactive gaming at Sideshow.

Gemma Dishman, STACK’s Project Development Director, said: “Patrick Forster Barber and Shop is exactly the calibre of business we hoped to attract to STACK and we have no doubt it will become as loved by its customers as Oliver’s Newsagents was.”