Carrick salon enjoys strong reopening since lockdown

Kathryn had recently invested heavily in her own education, studying for exams and undertaking international training experiences but found herself having to close Serenity Hair as lockdown measures were enforced. After initially outgrowing her previous premises, Kathryn moved to Carrickfergus’ town centre thanks to a growing customer base. As a result of the commitment of her client base, Kathryn has been extremely busy since reopening at the start of the summer. She said: “I’ve built strong relationships with a lot of my clients, having been hairdressing in the town for over 10 years, so I was aware that some had been shielding or lived with people who were. “It was paramount for me to ensure they felt as safe as possible, so the salon was given a deep clean before opening and at the beginning was open solely for those more vulnerable clients, meaning they could come whilst the salon was empty. “This felt like the fairest way to do things, and I wanted provide the best service possible for all of my clients, who have been so loyal and supportive throughout this uncertain time.” To ensure her clients feel as safe as possible, Kathryn has introduced a number of additional safety measures and has taken on two extra junior members of staff to help with cleaning. She added: “For me, it’s so important that I can ensure the safety of both my staff and my customers, so I have taken a lot of precautionary measures. “We’ve extended appointment times to allow cleaning in between clients and have made masks compulsory for staff and clients. “We removed the reception area to facilitate better social distancing within the salon, and we also erected screens between each area and installed sanitiser stations for staff and clients. I wanted to make sure I had done everything I could.” Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Cllr Peter Johnston, visitesd the salon. The DUP representative said: “This is a perfect example of the fantastic effort and resilience shown by our local business owners to adapt to the challenges presented by the pandemic. “Local businesses such as Kathryn’s are crucial to the recovery of our local economy and provide an important service to the wider community. “It is important that we continue to support our local traders and suppliers at this time.” Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is currently rolling out its #RediscoverMEA campaign which aims to shine a light on local businesses and encourage locals to give them the support they deserve. Serenity Hair is located at 17 North Street, Carrickfergus and is open Tuesday to Saturday for appointments. -- A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so. Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely. You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up. Thank you.