Member Spotlight - Westend Salon

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Member Spotlight - Westend Salon

☆Where did the idea come from?

My Name is Evita McCloskey and I'm one of 3 owners of West End Salon. My partners are Inese Dowling & Inga Katinga. The salon is located at 84 West Street Dogheda. At this premise we have been 2 years. Here is our story in "Dogheda Life" by Andy Spearman.
West End Salon is run by three friends who all live locally and who dared to dream.

The story starts just over 9 years ago when three neighbours who had recently moved from various parts of Latvia to live in Drogheda got together for a night out to get to know each other better.

Inga Katina, Evita Liege and Inese Dowling had never met before coming to live in Drogheda, but they soon found out they had much more in common than their nationality. Each of them had dreamt of opening their own beauty business. None of them thought the dream would come true, but it would not go away. The dream became a plan and pretty soon they found themselves opening the doors of their salon at West End House on West Street. They were in business! That is how the name of the business was born-West End Salon!

Okay, their first premises wasn’t exactly ideal. It was on the first floor so they had no shop window and there was no heat or hot running water either, but they were raring to go. They had no money either, so they had nothing to lose.

What they did have was ambition, self-confidence, knowledge of their craft and an appetite for hard work. Oh, and families to feed. They hit Facebook with a vengeance and soon there was a trickle of customers turning up at the door – mostly friends but a few strangers also.

All three are experienced in their particular field and that, combined with competitive pricing and dedicated, friendly service meant that, as word spread, the trickle soon turned into a constant flow.

Then disaster struck. Just a month after they opened, the Weavers pub next door burnt to the ground. Evita, remembers holding back the tears in West Street as smoke billowed out the salon windows.

But they persevered. As soon as they were allowed back into the building, they were in there cleaning up. The carpet was ruined so the three women spent four days sanding the old floorboards – by hand.

9 years on they have built up a nice business with a loyal following. They now have six associates each of whom bring their own specialities to the practice.
For 2 years West End Salon is in beautiful new premises next door. It’s been refurbished to the highest standard and stands as a beacon of hope in a once great street.

They have a shop window at last and their landlord, Eugene O’Connor, couldn’t be nicer. “He’s like our Dad!” they joke. “He has kept his promises and anything we ask for he does his best to provide. It really does make things so much easier. We’ve even got hot and cold water!”

West End Salon is so much more than a hairdressing and beauty salon though, and the new premises are allowing them to fulfil their dream of having a one-stop-shop where clients can receive a dizzying array of treatments, everything from a simple cut and blow dry to a full body massage and almost anything in between.

☆How has the business had a positive impact on Drogheda ?

The business is bringing more people in to town. Creating employment?

☆What do you think has been your biggest achievement with the business?

Happy returning customers is our biggest achievement.
Hope we can be role models to people that not afraid to follow their dreams!

☆What’s next for Westend Salon and the business in Drogheda?
 

We like to take on more staff & expand the business, using existing business model open more hair & beauty salons.

Tell us one thing people might not know about the business. ?

West End Salon is a Hair & Beauty Spa that provides wide range of treatments to save a lot of time for the clients. If you are getting hair done you can get your nails painted , eyebrows tinted and wax or maybe even a relaxing facial done whilst the colour is developing!!!

☆What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever been given? 
 

Never take No for an answer!
Hard work & determination will pay off.
Regards Evita