As Station Road salon Anya Lois Hair raises a glass to ten years of business here in Histon & Impington, Amanda Borrill catches up with young entrepreneur and founder Anya Lois Cooper and hears how, with a lot of support and determination, dreams really can come true.
“When you support a small business, you really are supporting a dream”, writes Anya as she announces on social media the plans to celebrate ten years of her very own hair salon – the self named Anya Lois Hair.
Just 21 when the opportunity to open her own salon arrived, Anya has proved that age is no barrier to success and despite a few initial, and perfectly understandable, doubts around whether taking on such a challenge was the right thing to do, has made it through ten years. Thanks, she says, to the support of her amazing customers.
A passion for all things hair
For Anya, the salon is a dream she has held since she was a young girl. Inspirational mum, Shiralee Gristwood, is well known here in the community for her successful Milton-based tailoring business, Shiralee Alterations, and creative ambition, it seems, runs in the family.
Growing up and attending school here, it was a Year 10 opportunity to take up hairdressing as a subject at Impington Village College that drove this very early passion for all things hair. Work experience and an apprenticeship in that same work experience salon followed, and Anya’s future career path was beginning to take shape.
Aged just 19, she decided to take the plunge, leave her job and go it alone with her own mobile hairdressing business. Every moment of her spare time was spent delivering leaflets – raising awareness and slowly, but surely, building up her future clientele. She began to research potential rentals around Cambridge until, cycling down Station Road Histon one day early in 2015, spotted a sign in what had been Jane’s Frames advertising availability to rent. A chat with her parents ensued and the deal was done. The keys were handed over at the beginning of March and, with a lot of help from family and friends, doors opened for business at the end of that same month.
Ten years since that opening day, the salon has 4 staff working in Anya Lois Hair – all of whom, Anya smiles, share the same passion she does for hair. But, as for many businesses, the ride has not been without its bumps in the road and plans to expand back in 2019 were about to be thrown into disarray. “I was all set to employ more staff”, Anya recollects “and make the most of the extra space. But then, in March 2020, we were all put into lockdown because of the pandemic.”
Hair-raising days of lockdown
The struggle without our hairdressers was real! Few will forget the bad hair days of lockdown and our nation’s unruly tresses being shared across social media feeds. “It was a really strange, unknown time as I imagine many others would agree”, reflects Anya. “As a business owner, it was really odd being told ‘you can’t go to work’. Not knowing when the salon would be able to reopen was very stressful. Luckily, when we did finally reopen, we had the extra space taken on pre-pandemic enabling a safe space to accommodate essential social distancing measures.
“I will never forget the day we were given the green light to reopen. I had my work phone at home and, within minutes of the announcement, it was going crazy for days on end. Before this I was worried I wouldn’t have a job to come back to after seeing people giving hairdressing a go on friends and family in their homes during the lockdown. How wrong I was though! Our services were well and truly needed and our hairdressing skills appreciated more than ever.”
And, as seems to be a recurring pattern here in the village, once again it was the love of community that kept Anya afloat. “I will forever be grateful to those wonderful clients that called and messaged during this time just to check in and see how I was. I believe the people of Histon & Impington are a big part of the success of Anya Lois Hair through their support of local and small businesses.”
The love of a community
Clearly, there is much joy to be gained from being a business located in the heart of H&I. “I am very thankful to have my salon here”, Anya tells me, “it is a lovely community in which we have been lucky enough to build strong relationships with local residents; offering a relaxing atmosphere for clients to unwind and enjoy their salon experience.
“Being in the village”, she smiled “we often see a lot of returning customers but are always welcoming new customers too. It’s lovely to bump into familiar faces inside and outside of our working hours”.
It is plain to see this mover and shaker in the world of hair is truly a force to be reckoned with. Just 31 years old now, and with ten years of a successful business behind her, Anya has much to celebrate going forward.
Six months ago, she married boyfriend Dan Cooper. They met on holiday in Tenerife and tied the knot on their ten year anniversary in October last year. But who is brave enough to do the wedding hair of the hairdresser, I asked? “My great friend and stylist who used to work for me called Molly did my hair”, reveals Anya. “She left me to go self-employed and specialises in extensions and bridal hair. I asked the girls who work with me now if anyone fancied doing my wedding hair for me and they all went quiet! I think it was a bit too much pressure”, she laughs.
Across the community, the love for Anya runs deep. I have heard so many good things whilst preparing for this feature and the comments on her Facebook post celebrating their ten year celebrations match these offering well wishes including – ‘congratulations to you, here’s to many more successful years’, ‘well done on an amazing achievement’ and, slightly more jokingly, ‘many thanks for the 9 years of sheep shearing you have given me!’
Congratulations and happy 10th birthday Anya Lois Hair!
Follow Anya Lois Hair on Facebook and on Instagram.
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