BARROW welcomed a new bathroom business to the high street at the weekend - and its shiny golden tub caught the eye of passers-by.

The new Build A Bathroom premises held its grand opening on Saturday.

The store, on Dalton Road, offers everything from heating to tiles and is run by Paul Harris and Simon Huitson, who have been friends for over 20 years.

The shop will see two sets of home expertise team up and work out of the same space. While Mr Huitson knows all things bathroom, Mr Harris has brought a knowledge of plumbing and heating.

The shared space features full bathroom displays, with an eye-catching golden bathtub in the window, as well as a ‘wet room’ with working showers, various wall finishes and a fully set up heating system.

Mr Harris has set up a whole ‘house’ with a boiler and heating system to show customers how the latest renewable energy system works. Customers can interact with dials to adjust the temperature and watch the live pipes carry water beneath their feet.

After starting to offer renewable energy models in 2020, Mr Harris said it had taken over the world of heating.

Instead of trying to describe the system, he chose to set up a demonstration in the shop ‘so people can get a feel for it’ and get an idea of what can be achieved at home.

He wants to see more people interested in renewable energy and has solar panels arriving soon.

“Simon and I do slightly different things so I think it’ll work well and we’ll bounce off each other. With everything in one place you can pick out for an entire property," he said.

Barrow MP Simon Fell is set to visit the new shop on Thursday February 22 while local architects, as well as other businesses, have also been invited to come and have a look around and build connections.

Mr Harris said it had been a ‘mad week’ preparing for open day but he was ‘happy now’ seeing everything ‘nearly completely set up’.

He said the shop came together well.

 “It’s a bit different from other places because as well as supplying stock and retail, we also offer installation,” he said.

This ‘soft opening’ is phase one for the business, as the floor space extends into a second half that will be built up into more show space.

After acquiring the shop three months ago, the duo have been working evenings and weekends to be ready in time for opening day.

Mr Huitson said they were lucky to open on time due to a late delivery. They successfully pulled it off after making final adjustments until midnight on Friday February 16.

“We can customise your whole bathroom from design to finish," he added. "There’s a can-do attitude; we don’t say no to anything or any design.”

He said the opening day was brilliant, and they had a ‘good few’ customers through the door.