Meet the salon owner with a growing passion for hair and beauty

Blush on Clipsley Lane has just celebrated its fifth birthday and it's going from strength to strength following a tough couple of years during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Here, in our latest Meet The Salon Owner feature, Isobel, who is 30, tells us where her passion for the hair and beauty industry started, why she decided to take the leap and open her own salon and how much she’s looking forward to the social calendar over the next few months.

If you would like to appear in our feature, email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk

Blush owner Isobel Rushton

What’s the name of the salon/business?

Blush

What’s the address?

329 Clipsley Lane, Haydock, St Helens, WA11 0SG

Are you the owner/manager?

Yes, I own the salon.

The salon on Clipsley Lane in Haydock opened in 2017

How many employees do you have?

There are no employees but there are five of us in total in the salon. The four girls that work alongside me rent spaces within the salon.

When did you open the salon?

I opened the salon on November 16, 2017, so just over five years ago.

Has it always been in the same location?

Yes, when we first opened, we never had the upstairs to the salon as it was occupied as a flat. Then as we expanded, we took over the upstairs too.

Are you local to the area? Did you grow up here?

Yes, I grew up in Haydock and all my family are from Haydock too. Even my husband and his family are from Haydock too! I went to primary and secondary school in Haydock so I’m a local through and through.

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Tell me a bit about your salon/business

We are five hard-working, down-to-earth women who share the same passion for the beauty industry. We wanted to create a warm, friendly atmosphere for clients to feel welcome and encouraged to take five minutes for themselves to relax. We laugh together and we cry together - we are very big on keeping things real and not paying attention to the pressures of social media. We want every woman to feel comfortable with us. I’ve always worried that beauty salons can sometimes feel intimidating, especially if you’re new to having treatments, but I hope that we've created a relaxed approach and made everyone who comes through our doors feel at home and comfortable.

What do you do? What services do you provide?

We provide everything from make-up and hairdressing to nails, sugaring and eyebrows as well as lash lifting and pray tanning. We also have a nurse who visits the salon regularly to do aesthetics. We can do anything that's beauty related.

Why did you decide to open your own salon?

I was on maternity leave with my first son and after having a year off I really didn't want to go back to my full time office job. I was doing make-up and beauty as a mobile beauty technician, so I decided to get myself a room to rent inside a sunbed shop. This is the shop I have now. I’d never owned my own salon as I thought I wouldn’t be able to make enough money on beauty alone but then the industry took off and was more popular than ever. After a few years, the owner of the sunbed shop decided to close. I tried to find somewhere close to home that I could just rent a space from but there was nothing available and then my husband suggested we take over the shop and open our own business. At first, I thought he was mad as we didn't really have any money to put into a new business but we gave it everything we had. We had just had our second son he was only three months old when we got the keys to the shop. Looking back, it was a really stressful time but it’s the best thing we ever did. I’m so grateful for my family and friends for their support and, of course, to my loyal customers who have continued to come back.

Beach waves are a must for the summer months (Image: Blush)

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What’s your hair and beauty background?

I have two A Levels in fashion and photography make-up and a level 2 in beauty.

Why this type of business?

I have always been obsessed with make-up. From a young age, I was practising on my two older sisters and it got to the point where they would ask me to put their hair up or do their make-up for a night out. I’ve always been interested in art, drawing and painting but wasn’t very academic at school – I was more hands on. I knew I was good at hair and make-up and I enjoyed it.

How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your business?

We had been open for a few years before Covid-19 hit. In the beginning, I was more worried about the disease itself - it was an awful time not knowing what was going to. The government funding really helped to keep our business open – without it we wouldn’t have survived for more than a couple of months. We were worried that customers wouldn’t come back after being closed for so long but the support we received was unbelievable. People wanted to keep small businesses open and customers happily shared our social media posts and recommended us to friends and family.

High gloss nails are always popular at Blush

What makes your business different to others in the same area/field? What sets your business apart from your competitors?

There are so many salons in Haydock and everyone is so friendly – we regularly help each other out. We’re all different in their own ways. I’ve tried to put my own stamp on the salon over the past five years and I have tried to make it a welcoming place that's relaxed and inviting.

Why do loyal clients return to your business?

I hope it’s because of the service. We try hard to deliver the best for all our customers. We are all highly trained in what we do and I hope that reflects in our work. It’s why our customers keep coming back. We try to make everyone feel welcome and it’s a really friendly atmosphere.

What’s next? What do the next few months hold for you and your salon?

I don’t want to give too many of our secrets away but we’ve got some new treatments coming soon that will be perfect for the summer months. We have some Mother’s Day offers, which we love to do each year, and then it’s onto the races. I love the start of April as it’s when things really start to pick up after Christmas. Everyone gets excited for ladies day at The Grand National! We love what we do and enjoy being in each other’s company – it’s all about having a brew and a natter and making the customers feel good about themselves.

The ladies at Blush enjoy keeping up with current trends and fashions