The vibe at legendary hairdresser House of Lords was electric on Wednesday afternoon. Dance music blared in the studio and spilled onto Yonge St. as guests chatted on a purple couch under small disco balls that hung from the ceiling.

One would never suspect that the famed institution was living its last days.

On Tuesday, Paul Burford, the owner of House Of Lords, declared on Facebook that he was closing his studio due to increasing property taxes. He told his staff on Wednesday that the studio would close on October 1, after 51 years of operation.

“I’m closing down, I made a decision, I’ve had enough, I’m 75, I work every day,” said Burford. “You try to give the customer a good deal, keep the prices down, employ 20 people, and then they whack you with double tax,” said Burford, standing outside of his truck with House of Lords branding painted on it.

“The mayor, I see him today on TV talking about bicycles. We’ve got another zillion dollars worth of bicycles . . . but for Christ’s sake, give us a break on Yonge St.”

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