Rural salon with city style marks 10th birthday

Sarah Jackson and her team are holding a special 10th anniversary celebration at The Hair Spa, in Bolton-le-Sands, on Saturday June 11 from 11.30am until 4.30pm.

Sarah, who grew up in Bolton-le-Sands, has made her mark since she launched the business in 2006.

“Even as a pupil at Queen Elizabeth School, Kirkby Lonsdale, owning my own salon was my dream. I worked at Angles hair salon in Carnforth at 14. I washed hair, swept floors and made endless cups of tea. I loved it.”

On leaving school at 16 Sarah worked at David Frank, Lancaster, and studied hairdressing at Lancaster & Morecambe College. During her third year, only months away from gaining NVQ Level 3, she made the big leap into business ownership.

Sarah said: “My goal was to bring standards of hair and beauty that you could find in a big city to a rural business site and provide a service that brings customers back time and time again.”

That first salon was at the far end of Main Road and employed two staff members – Sarah and a Saturday girl.

Six years later The Hair Spa moved to its current location in the heart of the village, complete with disabled parking and access, and the now eight-strong team includes Phillippa Robinson, beauty therapist.

In 2014 Sarah was the only businesswoman from north Lancashire to reach the finals in her category of the Enterprise Vision Awards, which recognises inspiring businesswomen across the north west.

Sarah has built a solid reputation over the decade through providing a happy and relaxed atmosphere in the salon, through investment in training and by introducing innovations to attract and retain customers.

“I’m very proud of our apprentice training programme and the staff and I undergo out-of-house training to keep us up-to-date with all the latest techniques and developments,” she said. “I’ve embraced technology too: we offer free wifi in the salon and use social media for promotion and customers can book appointments online via our website.”

This summer promises to be a big one for Sarah. Not only is she marking 10 years as a successful entrepreneur but she is also getting married to her fiancé, Andy. The couple live in Carnforth with their three dogs.

“The salon will remain in Bolton-le-Sands. I am a local girl running a salon for the village to benefit from. I grew up in the village, went to school here and spend much of my spare time walking the dogs and visiting my family who gave me the encouragement and support to go into business.

“I am so happy to be in the centre of the village in a lovely yet practical salon. I love listening to the buzz surrounding me when the salon is packed to the rafters with lots of happy clients.”