A hair salon in Shirley has celebrated its 21st anniversary.

Le Salon was opened 21 years ago by sisters Kim and Truc Le on Shirley Road.

With a small team of just six staff members – including Rita Maunders, who has worked at the hairdressers since it opened in 2003 – Le Salon has remained a constant presence in the ever-changing landscape of Shirely high street.  

“We’re one of the only salons in Shirley now,” said Kim.

“I was 19 or 20-years-old when we opened the business. It kind of came out of nowhere – I’d always had a passion for hairdressing and wanted to be a hairdresser and it was a different world back then, we went from nothing to starting our own business and it’s all gone by so quickly.

“There was no social media, it was just all through word of mouth and people spreading the word.”

To celebrate the special anniversary, the hair salon was decked out with celebratory balloons, banners, and an array of party food available to staff, customers, and members of the community who wanted to share in the festivities.

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Left to right, Truc Le, Rita Maunders, Jade Fawson, Brooke Noyce, Leanna Summers, Kim Le from Le Salon (Image: Matt Davey)

“We thought 21 years was a really important milestone,” said Rita.

“It’s been quite hard in Shirley as lots of businesses have shut over the years and we’ve managed to stay open through the recession, the Covid-19 pandemic, and now the cost-of-living crisis.

“It’s a very close community in Shirley and everyone gets to know each other and look out for one another.

“There’s lots of different cultures and a nice mix of everything. We’ve literally seen people grow up over a period of 21 years, the same people still come and see us, it’s a wonderful thing.”

Truc was also keen to reflect on the significant passage of time, stating: “We all have children and our own families now, it’s all gone by so fast.”

She added: “The reason we’re still here is because of the amazing team of people we’ve got and our loyal customers who keep coming back to us.

“There’s only six of us in total who work here, it’s a small business but we’re like a family.

“Ultimately, we just can’t thank everyone enough who has supported us, whether that’s people who have worked here or the customers who we see every day.”