Wodonga barbers Mat and Della Poppins hand over keys of Mad 4 Hair after three decades

Mad 4 Hair on Stanley Street has been taken over by one of the store's previous apprentices Daniel Vasilevski, after husband and wife team Mat and Della Poppins operated the business for 30 years.

Graham Bradbury had run it for more than two decades before the Poppins put pen to paper in 1991.

The business has had its fair share of challenges to overcome with forced closures due to a fire at neighbouring cafe in 2018, roadworks on High Street and most recently COVID-19, with hair and beauty services shut down whenever regional Victoria was in lockdown.

"Mat was in the army when we started and basically for the first 10 years it was just him and I," Mrs Poppins said.

"He (Mat) was my first apprentice and I taught him how to cut hair.

"I was still part of the business up until we finished, but I moved out and started work part-time at Hello World Travel about eight years ago."

Mr Poppins will remain at the store three days a week to cut hair and said the business would be in good hands.

"A number of times I've had people say they don't come for the haircut, they come for the chat," he said.

"They certainly enjoy the experience of coming into a shop like this and it's the rapport you build with people.

"It's in very good hands with Dan taking charge and for people to see that continuity, that's what the customers want and Dan will enjoy good business from it."

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Mr Vasilevski, who formerly played soccer for A-League club Melbourne Victory and relocated to the region in 2018 to play for NPL club Murray United, owns Wig Chop, which has barber shops in Wangaratta and Yarrawonga and is delighted to be back where he started his journey cutting hair.

"I guess if I didn't take that opportunity. I probably wouldn't have been back. It probably would have worked out a bit differently," he said.

"This was my opportunity and there's a really nice feel about the shop.

"As I was saying to Mat when I came in to meet him about the handover, it was like I never left. I was standing behind the counter thinking I was working, I knew where everything was and it all happened naturally.

"I spent so much time here, six days a week and it becomes your second home."

The Mad 4 Hair name will remain in the short term, before it becomes Mr Vasilevski's next Wig Chop store.

Mr and Mrs Poppins have been actively involved in the community, having both been recognised as life members of Wodonga Hockey Club, while Della was part of the High Street revitalisation reference group in 2009.

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