A FORMER café has been transformed into Winchester’s newest hair salon.
Colleagues of more than 20 years, Barry Maddocks and Jo Eykyn have opened their first business, called ME Collective, in St Thomas Street.
The hair salon opened on Thursday, June 1, with a launch party the following day for customers and neighbouring businesses.
The pink décor, left by the former occupant Ashby’s, has been scrapped for green walls, large plants and modern hairdressing stations with a 28-day turnaround from when Barry and Jo got the keys, with the pair previously working together at Toni and Guy.
READ MORE: New hair salon to open in former Winchester cafe Ashby's
Jo, 47, said: “We must have had about 80 to 90 people here for the launch. It was really nice, we had lots of neighbouring businesses here too.
“People didn’t think we were going to be ready in time but we love the end result, it’s got a really nice sort of Kew Gardens feel. Everybody has been really supportive because it's our own and it’s our first project.
“The floor-to-ceiling windows make people feel like they’re in a bigger space without the sense that they’re sitting in a goldfish bowl.”
Barry, 39, said: “It’s been really busy since we opened and the launch party was great. We had random people turning up which we weren’t expecting. It was a good way of letting people know we’re here and as a way of saying thank you to our clients.
“It feels like I’ve always worked here and that the space has always been a salon. People really appreciate the natural light and I just love how the salon flows.
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“The response has been so positive, we’ve had a mix of new and old customers and everyone is really loving our new products and noticing how the impact on their hair.”
ME Collective is open 10am-6pm on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 8am-4pm on Wednesday and Saturday and 12-8pm on Thursday.
The variable opening times were designed to fit around different customers’ lifestyles and provide a work-life balance for the team.
Alongside the launch, the new business has released a video campaign 'This is ME' featuring models, staff and customers in and around Winchester.
For more information go to mecollective.co.uk/.
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