A Dundee hairdresser has not let the woes of a global pandemic prevent her from opening her own salon in the city.
Jayne Valentine, who has been a hairdresser for about 14 years in Dundee, launched Valentines on Clepington Road last week.
Jayne, 35, has initially opened her business on a “one-to-one” basis, meaning she is the only hairdresser on site and only one customer is on the premises at a time, reducing the risk of spreading Covid-19.
She said: “Opening my own salon is something I have been thinking about doing for a while, but with coronavirus I gave it a bit longer.
“I did some retraining and research to prepare for what new rules will be in place.
“I think it is better that I have done it this way rather than if I’d opened earlier in the year just before lockdown was announced. It helped me prepare for how things work now.
“For people who have been shielding, what I am offering with the one-to-one service is good for them I think. It makes things that little bit safer.”
Jayne admitted the prospect of opening her own business while economies locally and globally face uncertainty was daunting but is resolute she can make it work.
“Not having opened my own business before can be very anxious anyway but not knowing if there is going to be another lockdown or if tighter restrictions get announced makes it worse.
“Every time there is a briefing on the television and you just don’t know what’s going to be announced, that can make you nervous.
“But you can only be hopeful and stay positive. One of things I’ve realised with people on social media and elsewhere is that they all really wanted to get a haircut when lockdown was over.
“There’s a demand but things are changing all the time and I just have to be adaptable to it.
“For example, the business might not always be on a one-to-one basis and offer chairs for other hairdressers. That is something that I hope to change as things progress but it just felt like the right thing to do at the moment.”
Jayne hopes people noticing her new venture can offer a glimmer of hope.
“Hopefully it’s refreshing for people to see a new business opening. It makes for a change compared to having boarded up windows everywhere.
“The first week open went really well, I think. The clients were brilliant and everyone seemed happy.”
Jayne keeps the hair salon’s Facebook and Instagram pages regularly up to date with offers and availability. Bookings can be made by calling 07596336410.
