Hair salon expands in Northampton thanks to business grant

Barbarella Hair was backed by Northampton Borough Council to move from its existing two separate sites on St Giles Street into one, larger premises on the same street.

The hair salon owner, Helen Barber, jumped at the chance to apply for the lease of the property at 72 St Giles Street when it became available earlier this year.

The bigger property will not only allow them to bring together the unisex hairdressing services they offer across their two properties but with two floors available, it will give them more space to deliver their specialist wedding packages and grow their team in the near future.

Helen will officially launch the new salon on Small Business Saturday, December 3, with an open day that will offer visitors and customers cakes, refreshments and free blow dry vouchers.

Salon owner Helen said: “Being Northampton born and bred I was keen to keep our salon in Northampton town centre and particularly on St Giles Street, which is a beautiful area of the town with a strong community feel.

“Adapting the property to our needs has been a bigger job than we anticipated and so the council’s Business Incentive grant has been a godsend. The grant has enabled us to tackle big jobs such as levelling out and replacing the flooring to something more suitable for our salon, and install a new boiler.”

“We look forward to welcoming people to the salon opening as we showcase the new property and the services we offer.”

Since the Business Incentive Scheme launched in 2014, more than 115 businesses have benefitted from the grants, which have supported the creation of 554 jobs across the town.

The council’s cabinet member for regeneration, enterprise and planning, Councillor Tim Hadland, said: “Our Business Incentive Scheme not only assists new businesses to set up in the town, it also helps existing businesses like Barbarella, who want to expand their offer or improve their premises. I’m delighted to be helping Barbarella grow, because their success will support the growth of the local economy and create jobs.

“I look forward to joining the team at Barbarella Hair on Small Business Saturday to help them open their new salon and celebrate their success in the town centre.”

More information about the Business Incentive Scheme and how you can apply for funding is available at http://www.northampton.gov.uk/bis