Tenant talk by Simon Whiting, Centre Manager at the Willow Brook Centre

I have always enjoyed meeting new people. I like to talk and to hear about people’s life journeys and their narratives. Building relationships as a shopping centre manager is imperative to the success of any scheme and I am lucky that I have so many great people moving about Willow Brook willing to talk. Judd Sharp (on the left of the photo) is one of these people.

Judd is a businessman, an entrepreneur with a flair for premium service. Judd owns and runs the Bradley Stoke Barbershop located in Willow Brook’s mall. A sleek looking unit accompanied by innovation and service. Judd’s story is one of passion, one of determination and a willingness to keep driving forward.

Judd was born in Manchester but relocated to the Bradley Stoke area at a very young age. When he finished school, his enterprising spirit kicked in immediately and he set up, in partnership with his late Father, a burger van. The rumblings of an entrepreneur began internally, and Judd felt he had found his calling, even at a young age. 

Judd moved quickly and established himself as a hospitality specialist opening several establishments across the Bristol area. Judd’s career was just taking off and he was rapidly developing a work ethic that would serve him well moving forward.

“I enjoy working, I don’t really like taking time away from my businesses” Judd says beaming with his usual enthusiasm. 

As we candidly chatted about all of his enterprises I asked Judd when will he stop, when will he be happy? “I’m happy now” he replied, “but I won’t stop, I enjoy what I do, it’s my purpose”.

Judd had acknowledged a gap in the market within the local area and understood barbering was a resilient industry. He was an already established barber but along his journey he had fallen in love with the Bradley Stoke area. He had been trying for years to set up a barber shop in Bradley Stoke and when the stars aligned, he found himself positioned perfectly at the Willow Brook centre. A deal that is working well for both Judd and Willow Brook customers. 

He has had many ventures, some hit the target, some mis-fired. That’s business. That’s life. But Judd always smiles. 

If you meet Judd, you will understand quickly how driven he is. A quick conversation with him will impress you. He is vibrant, energetic, passionate and honest.

Judd and his business are branching out at Willow Brook as we look to further stake our claim that we are the best community in the region. A secret that is becoming more difficult to conceal is that Judd is looking to open a Car Valet operation at Willow Brook. This won’t be the run of the mill type of car wash, nothing is boring with Judd. This will be a bespoke offer that is centred around excellence and experience. Just like his Barber Shop. With an anticipated opening of this Summer, make sure you watch this space as Judd brings another piece of his personality to Willow Brook.

An infectious character, Judd is just one of the many people who make Willow Brook and Bradley Stoke so special. When I told Judd that I was running the London half marathon for The Brightwell, he asked how my Just Giving page was doing, he asked what my target was and immediately said he would donate whatever we needed to hit target. He said that community always comes first. This moved me as there was no agenda, just an honesty and compassion for our community.

Businesses have come and gone, the pandemic put everything on hold and when the world returned, we were faced with a slightly different version. One thing for sure though, a constant that seemingly never changes……Judd will always be smiling.

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