Strands of Spalding celebrating 25 years of hairdressing

A popular salon is celebrating 25 years of helping their clients’ hair shine.

Sharon Tear first threw open the doors at Strands of Spalding in 1996, and the Woolram Wygate business has thrived ever since.

Thursday, December 9 marked the big anniversary, with balloons in the salon and cupcakes, drinks and gifts available for everyone who visited on the day.

Mrs Tear took out a 20-year lease at the venue after selling her car and putting all of her savings into her new venture.

“Looking back now, who would do that in this day and age? 20 years is a long time,” she said.

“I’ve been a hairdresser all my life, so it was just the next step. It was just natural progression.

“I’d worked for a couple of fantastic bosses and they taught me a lot. There was an empty unit that my sister had seen down in Woolram Wygate, we went to have a look at it and that was the decision made.

“We’re still going. We’ve been through births, deaths, marriages, divorces, car crashes and lockdowns.”

With no social media at the time, Mrs Tear and her staff spread awareness of their arrival by handing out fliers and taking out newspaper adverts.

After starting with the downstairs unit at their premises, they have expanded and now occupy the upstairs section as well - and two weekends ago, they had some new hair washing basins installed.

The business’ continued success is down to the loyalty of their clients, according to Mrs Tear.

“We’ve got two or three people who still come to us that have been with us for the whole 25 years,” she said.

“You do see people get married, have children, get divorced, get married again.

“It’s just lovely. There’s not a part of it I don’t enjoy. I love all the different aspects from cutting hair to colouring and bridal hair.

“The loyal customers make it for you, because you get to know them as friends as well.”

There are no plans to slow down at Strands - in fact there are some exciting plans in the pipeline for future improvements.

“I like to think that I look after my clients and that I look after the salon,” Mrs Tear added.

“We keep reinvesting into the salon to keep it nice for people.

“Onwards and upwards. We’ve got a lovely team of staff, which makes it a joy to go to work. “