Business Review
Viva La Vida! Hairdressing salon celebrates 20 years in Biggleswade Last month marked an important birthday for La Vida Hairdressing in Station Road, Biggleswade when, on 3rd May, they celebrated an impressive 20 years since their opening. Owner Rachel Relihan was only twenty-three when she started the small, friendly salon, which is conveniently situated just off the town centre. “When I qualified, I never planned to open my own business,” she says. “I went into hairdressing straight from school, working in Bedford then Potton. When I moved to a salon in Ampthill after six years, my clients wanted to come with me.” With a loyal following of clients travelling to her, and Rachel commuting herself, it seemed the perfect idea to take the plunge and open her own hairdressers more locally. She found the perfect premises and took on her first stylist after a month. Business built up from there. Today, La Vida has four stylists, two of whom have completed their apprenticeships with the salon: Lauren, who has worked there for five years; Shannon and Zoe, both of whom have worked at La Vida for 11 years; and Rachel herself.
48
The client base is varied, ranging from families, a youthful generation who have ‘grown up’ attending the salon, to older customers, all of which Rachel is really pleased about. Most of the clients she brought with her all those years ago are still with her too. “I’ve known some of them for 24 years,” she says. So what is La Vida’s secret to success? “We are constantly complimented on our friendly welcoming atmosphere and we have built a very loyal client base” says Rachel. “I think the key to our success is our personal touch.” It’s clear that as well as taking good care of her customers, Rachel also looks after her staff who she describes as “family”. “I’ve always been passionate about staff training and education. It’s something I heavily invest in as it’s a must to keep up-to-date with the latest trends, developments and techniques in hair,” Rachel explains. As a result, La Vida’s stylist team offers a substantial range of services, while colour and cut are particular specialties, so much so that they are never fazed when asked to do colour corrections.
Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts
