This year, the Walkden hair salon Raffles and Co will have been serving the community for half a century.
Owner of the salon, Charlee Worthington, 27, from Farnworth, started working for the salon when she was 14 and is “super proud” to reach this milestone.
Charlee started working at the salon on Bolton Road 13 years ago as a Saturday girl and bought the salon off the previous owner when she was just 24 years old.
Charlee added: “With my mum being a hairdresser and growing up in this salon, I’ve always known I wanted to be a hairdresser.
“I like the creative aspect of it, I like meeting new people, making people feel glam and just the social side of it as well.”
Charlee said the salon has always had a great, close relationship with their clients, which is why the salon has managed to stay open for 50 years.
“As hairdressers people tell you everything, people really confide in you, so I think that helps build good relationships and then they stay with you,” Charlee added.
“It’s more about the experience that you give someone rather than just the hair.”
The salon, which has now been rebranded as the ‘Nuvu Salon’, was able to survive the pandemic and reopened in 2021.
“I think since the lockdown people appreciate hairdressers a lot more, people realise that having your hair done makes you feel 10 times better,” Charlee added.
Apart from the salon’s loyal client base, Charlee put’s the salon’s survival down to marketing on social media.
Charlee explained: “Social media is massive now and if you don’t keep up you fall behind. I think keeping active on Instagram is massively important.
“Especially since lockdown hairdressing has definitely changed, now showcasing your work on social media is the way forward.”
Since working in hairdressing, Charlee’s noticed a change in attitude towards hair amongst the younger clientele.
“A lot of people nowadays, especially younger ones, they’re going a lot longer between appointments,” Charlee added.
According to Charlee the younger generation are often opting for more low maintenance hair styles such as a balayage.
“I do think more people are also aware of looking after their hair and using better things and less heat and less bleach and colours.”
The salon already has an impressive team of five hairdressers downstairs at the salon, however this year the team is expected to grow upstairs as well.
Following the relaunch party earlier this month, there will be a beauty section upstairs in the salon that will offer nail services, facials, spray tans and so on.
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