A salon owner says that there has been a “buzz” in her salon since reopening as she was kept busy from clients eager to return to get their hair done.

Carol Andrea, who has been running Hairconnections by Andrea of Wembley for nearly 45 years, says that since being reopening the salon she has been constantly on her feet.

She was grateful to be back once more after the long winter lockdown, and regular clients have showed their continued outpouring love since being back.

She said: “It’s been crazy busy, it’s still quite busy, I think it’s wonderful because you can’t do your own hair at home – it’s also nice being back and just seeing your clients, some of them you’ve been seeing for years.

“They love being looked after and being one of us.”

More than two weeks later since the April 12 reopening, business has quietened down from the back-to-back period originally seen, but the hairdresser says that things are still “steady” at the moment and she is happy with the return.

Even older clients, who could be more at risk if catching Covid, were happy to quickly return.

However, she wonders how busy things will be when the initial buzz in the high street dies down.

While business has quietened down for now, the first two weeks were back-to-back

While business has quietened down for now, the first two weeks were 'back-to-back'

Her sister Sophie Andrea previously spoke to the Watford Observer after the first lockdown, stating “the streets are empty” following the loss of John Lewis, Debenhams, and the then uncertain future of intu Watford - which is now Atria Watford.

And nearly a year later, the salon owner shares similar concerns with her sister.

She said from observation that the town centre was “very busy” when it first reopened, but things appear to be quietening down.

“Apart from your Primark and your Zara, most places are not that busy,” she stated.

Outside the salon

Outside the salon

Regardless, for now she is optimistic that things are going well and is glad to have her staff and clients back in the store.

She said: “I’m not going to lie I was a bit nervous about starting back, but with most of our clients having the vaccine now, you feel a bit happier in that respect.

“All I can say is that we’re really happy to be back and hopefully that’s it and nothing happens in the future.”

And after estimating that the salon was essentially open for around three full months since the first lockdown last year – due to the second and third lockdown – she added she was “grateful” and “values” the customers that instantly booked appointments and rushed in for the reopening weeks.

She said: “It’s so hard to imagine (being shut for so long), it’s a business at the end of the day, we were not making anything."

 

“Coming back, it feels like it never stopped,” she concluded.

Meanwhile other hair salons visited that day were also extremely busy and staff said they were kept busy – signifying that business for hairdressers is stable so far.