The Failsworth salon hoping to be a cut above

Shannon, Left and Sophie from Visions Hair Studio

A Failsworth hair & beauty salon that opened just months before the Covid pandemic has been nominated for three national awards.

Visions Hair Studio on Propps Hall Drive was opened by Jo Moran and her daughter Shannon in 2019, but had been trading for less than a year before the UK was locked down in the first wave of the Covid outbreak.

"When Covid hit, it was a really scary time," says Jo, 51. "We hadn't been open a year, and we'd just taken on a member of staff, Sophie,  full time.  We were worried how we would pay her wages, as well as the overheads.

"For a while we felt like we were stuck in limbo, but in the second lockdown, we decided that we wouldn't let this beat us, and would use the time to completely redecorate the salon."

The work was carried out with the help of friends and family, and involved transforming the salon, with new basics and chairs, new kitchen area, and panelling all the walls.  

Shannon, 25, who has worked as a hairdresser since she was 16, took the opportunity to get qualifications in hair extensions and make-up, meaning the salon can now offer extra services.

Now, following a difficult but productive year, the salon has been nominated in the UK Hair and Beauty Awards in three categories: Best Salon, Best Team, and Best Decor.

Jo says she's proud to be a part of the awards: "We would like to thank all our loyal customers for supporting us over this last two years.  It has been a tough couple of years for us as a business with a lot of it spent closed.  

"We have worked hard to refurbish our salon to make it a lovely relaxing modern setting for our customers to come and be pampered.  This makes all our hard work worthwhile."

The Awards, in which hundreds of salons across the UK take part, will be presented in a virtual ceremony in March next year.

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