TEN years ago, when Ashley Withers opened his salon, he didn’t have a single client on his books.
The 19-year-old took a huge leap of faith opening Ashleigh Hair and Beauty on Hatter’s Row in the town centre and had to rely on word of mouth to build up his customer base.
Fast forward to 2023, and the successful businessman is celebrating the latest in a long line of awards and honours after taking Warrington’s Best for Hair title two years in a row!
Salon owner Ashley Withers
The salon, which is now on Horsemarket Street, is the first winner in our Best of 2023 competition, where each week we search for the best Warrington has to offer in different categories.
We started with Best for Hair and we were inundated with nominations for salons all over Warrington with clients and customers telling us who they thought should make the final shortlist.
Voting for Warrington’s Best for Pies is currently taking place and we’re also looking for nominations in our latest search - Best for Nails.
Thirteen top salons in Warrington made the shortlist for Best for Hair with Ashleigh Hair and Beauty in the town centre taking the coveted crown once again.
We received more than a thousand votes with the winning salon recording a landslide victory and Ashley couldn’t be happier.
Stunning, glossy curls
He said: “After winning last year I thought that this year we wouldn’t stand a chance so we weren’t expecting it at all.
“Seeing we’d made the final shortlist gave us all a feeling of extreme pride and then to hear that we’d won was fantastic – we were absolutely buzzing!
“We never thought we’d win again and it’s made us love our Ashleigh Hair community even more.
“We’re so grateful to every single person that took the time to vote for us.”
He added: “As much as we offer an impeccable service and beautiful salon vibe, none of this would be possible if it weren’t for our clients, who have supported us for the past ten years.
“We appreciate every single one and can’t thank them enough.”
In 2013, when Ashley opened the small salon he worked as a lone stylist and had best friend Courtney working for free to help build the business.
Inside Ashleigh Hair and Beauty
Ashley said: “Within six months the business had grown and we had moved into the larger premises where we’re now based.
“With bigger premises came the need for a bigger team and we welcomed Emily and Jenna.
“I hadn’t really been to Warrington before opening the salon so took a big risk but it paid off.
“We pride ourselves in being a luxury, high end salon, with a down to earth team.
“We offer a bespoke colouring service for our clients and specialise in the balayage technique.
“We also provide luxury Virgin Russian Hair extensions, which we import direct from a rural town in Russia.
“We love giving our clients that feel good factor, whether it’s adding hair extensions or popping on a toner.”
Clients leave the salon feeling good about themselves
He added: “I opened my business at 19, after only one year of working in the industry as an apprentice.
“Proving people wrong just made me want it even more.
“Push hard enough and you definitely can achieve anything.”
For more details go to facebook.com/ashleighhair.co.uk
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