Interiors focus: the hair boutique

The Hair Boutique

731 Bacup Road

Waterfoot

Rossendale Valley

BB4 7EU

01706 219428

Owner - Becki Beavan

Size -

How long in premises - We got the keys on  the 28th of July & renovations took place that very day. We had our launch party on Sunday 23rd October and our first clients were on Tuesday 25th July so we have only been working out of the salon for a week.

Clientele- we have a real mixed clientele from all over the northwest & some further a field. With social media being a huge part of how we gain new clients it has seen us taking bookings from people traveling from London, Birmingham & even as far as Scotland.

Staff - I currently employ 10 members of staff, 5 stylists, 2 receptionists, a makeup artist and two assistants.

Styling Stations- We have an 8 seat colour bar then six sections on the opposite side of the salon that we use for cutting & styling. We also have a makeup bar.

Budget- My Budget was 30k and we went over this by 10k

Financing- My savings, a 5k bank loan & a non refundable 10k of my husbands money haha

I left school in 1999 and took an apprenticeship with my local salon. I worked at various high end salons in my area building up an extensive clientele until having my first child in 2007. After Noah was born I decided to go freelance finding it easier to fit it around family life. I had my second child, Lola 18 months later & it was shorty after this I decided I needed a base to work from. I opened The Hair Boutique in 2012 and after a year I had outgrown my first salon. In 2013 I moved from a 3 station salon to a 6 station salon and then October this year has seen us go from that to a 14 station salon.

The premises were originally a bank over 20 years ago but more recently it was used as offices. When myself & my husband originally viewed the premises I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of work that needed doing. It needed a total refurb, from flooring, to plastering, lighting, windows, the lot but what attracted me to the building was the open space & the amazing natural light. My husband works in the building trade & he could instantly see the potential so I trusted his instincts & now I'm so glad I did .

Before we started the project I had a plan in mind, with coming from such a tiny shop with 9 of us cramped into such a small space I wanted to utilise the space as much as possible & I wanted a separate area for colour. I had a design in mind for a colour bar but finding one that fit my budget & design proved difficult so my husband took my design & made it for me using industrial steel table legs & it has a marble top with the pivoted mirrors attached on top. It really is beautiful & a focal part of the salon.

I do a balayage masterclass where I take on usually 6 students and show them my balayage techniques and some of the tips & tricks I've picked up from celebrity colourist Tracey Cunningham after attending her colour class at her salon out in Los Angeles and I've been out to her salon to shadow her and her amazing colourists this year. The class is very popular & I now have the room to allow more students to attend so the waiting times for them for a place will be shorter.

The most interesting features in the salon are firstly the wood panelling, it was  originally a dark mahogany which was quite over baring & too intense for a salon environment. It was treated & has been painted a beautiful mid grey which teamed with the amazing natural light gives a brightness to the space. Another interesting feature is our backwash room. Our clients love the fact that it is separate from the rest of the salon & they love the mood lighting & massaging backwashes. The teal walls & the copper light fittings go beautifully together giving it an almost boudoir feel.   

The best thing we did was to design & make things like our colour bar and reception desk. I love the fact that they are bespoke & individual to us.

There isn't a worst thing as it all went really smoothly. We didn't rush ourselves & we had a plan throughout so we always stayed in track.

My top tips for renovating a salon are

1. Make a plan & make lots of drawings.
2. Get lots of quotes from different tradesmen & don't just go with the first one.
3. Try to have some things bespoke made, it can be cost effective & it's a great way to set you apart from other salons
4. Plan a budget, get costings for everything before you start, this way you can plan what you're going to splurge on and what to save on.
5. Keep calm, there's no point getting stressed as it all comes good in the end.