Nestled between Westminster Chapel and the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Buckingham Gate is The Hair Shop, a well established hair and beauty salon run by Andrew Barnes which has enjoyed sustained success for almost two decades mainly through word of mouth. The Victoria BID's Zoe Collins visited the salon to find out more about what has made this business such an enduring success.

ZC: You run two hair shops one in Victoria and the other in Essex, how did The Hair Shop begin?

Andrew Barnes:
Well, I started running my first salon over two decades just across the road on Buckingham Gate with a business partner before starting The Hair Shop independently in 2000 based here at Buckingham Gate. Then seven years ago I opened a second salon based in Chelmsford, Essex, as well as the website. The website stocks and sells the products we use which is a great addition to the salons, and from there things have continued to develop quite organically really. www.thehairshop.co.uk

How long has The Hair Shop been based in SW1? What made you choose this location?

I’m please to say The Hair Shop originated in SW1! I previously worked as a hairdresser in Victoria so I had a good client base which was a real incentive to opening my own salon in the area.

How many people work in your team?

Well, there are seven hair stylists based in our Victoria Salon as well as Brigita our beauty therapist who also runs her own business based here at The Hair Shop.

What is unique about your business?

Good question, I think really what’s unique about us is the length of time we have been based in Victoria, the level of professionalism which we provide and the importance of continual professional development and training of our team with Keratin Express Blowout, the latest addition to our range of services.

When are your busiest times of year? Are you offering any post-holiday treats at the moment?

June and July are always really busy for us; everyone is getting ready for their holiday and lots of people pop in during their lunch hour for hair and beauty treatments. Then we find September is also particularly busy as everyone returns from holiday wanting to recondition their hair having enjoyed the sun, pool and sea!

The Hair Shop offer a wide range of hair products, what are the most popular?

We stock a whole range of brands but the two main ones are, Kerastase which is a luxury technical range and Aveda is a natural range based on plant and flower essences – both are extremely well loved by our clientele but it really depends on your personal preferences.

I notice you have an ‘Ask Andrew’ page on your website, could you tell me a bit more about this?

The ‘ask Andrew’ page has been quite a longstanding feature and I promise to always answer! It is something which I hope is useful to new clients that may have scalp problems or sensitive skin and would like a recommendation as to how best to achieve their desired look. Clients can sometimes be reluctant to discuss scalp problems face to face and by sending an email or two beforehand is really a good way to build a relationship with clients before they visit the salon.

If customers would like a new look for their summer holiday or special event do you offer special consultations?

Absolutely, we provide a wedding hair service and we have a lot of clients for events such as the Queen’s summer garden parties or functions and balls at Queens Elizabeth’s centre. All of our consultations are free so we’re happy for people to come in and have a chat about any special events they might have coming up.

In three words how would you describe The Hair Shop?

Stylish, affordable and efficient!

What experience do your customers get when they visit The Hair Shop?

Our clients always receive a very friendly and polite service, but when it comes to hair types and styles everyone is different so our clients get a very personal service when they visit. It is our top priority we get the right style and products to suit clients’ scalp and hair.
 
Do you have any famous faces visiting you?

Yes, quite a few! Alison my Store Manager styled Christian Slater’s hair for a year, Henry Winkler came in just last week, Kathleen Turner, and a number of tennis players and MP’s over the years. We also get to celebrity spot from our shop window, just this year we have seen President Barak Obama, Joe Cole, Christine Bleakly, Kevin Pieterson and the Duchess of Cambridge all go by!

Talking of the Duchess and as the salon is located just a few minutes from Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, have you had many people come in asking for the ‘The Kate’?

Well, Kate’s look is very classic and will always be a favourite but it has certainly become more popular a choice and we have had many clients requesting to have a similar hair colour!

In addition to the team hair stylists at The Hair Shop there is also a Boutique Beauty Salon owned and run by qualified beauty therapist Brigita Vather. I took a step inside the new cosy setting to find out a bit more about this new venture...

This is the first time you have run your own salon, what inspired you?

I have been a beauty therapist for six years now and it has been an ambition to run my own salon, so along with my husband as partner we started looking for the perfect premises and that was when we found The Hair Shop.

What made you locate in SW1?

Two main reasons really. Firstly this is an ideal premises, I really wanted somewhere with a spacious treatment room and a great environment, and secondly Victoria is a really bustling area with lots of potential clientele! It’s great being able to work with The Hair Shop too as both elements complement each other well.

You offer a wide range of services from facials, Swedish massage, manicures to tinting – what is distinctive about your salon?

I take a lot of care about the products I use and take considerable time in researching the best products be it for facials,  for which I only use Dermalogica which can be tailored to suit the individual, for pregnancy massages I use Mama Mio oils or for waxes I use Lycon Hot Wax. I am also a big fan of Essie nail polishes for my manicures and pedicures.

How do you see your business in a year’s time?

Well for now I am very busy establishing the business in Victoria, although I am thinking about introducing make-up classes for special occasions such as weddings and parties. I am really looking forward to the year ahead!

Check out the Hair Shop and the Boutique Beauty Salon's special offers

The Hair Shop is open Monday to Saturday from 10.30am to 6.30pm, 39-40 Buckingham Gate SW1E 6BS