2002/3

The Whitney Wig from Rene of Paris...Lace-Front and 100% Hand-Tied...coming soon

During this time of wondering what my future would hold for me, I went to college to learn IT skills, this was the first time I was back in Education since I left school in 1967, but computers and websites were the way forward. My husband was a website developer and as a change of career, I supported his business by marketing and selling our business to the end user, encouraging business people to have a website was not easy, even though they had heard of the 'Wonder Web' as someone called it, we hosted the town's website and we were there before others .....it is so different now as everyone looks to the web for advice, buying, holidays, you name it and the Internet since 2002 has exploded.

One day a close friend came to me and asked me to get her a wig as she had developed Breast Cancer, she did not want to go to a shop or Salon, she wanted this done privately and as I had links with Trendco and others, I could supply and style it for her. Whilst the wig was on order we started looking for wig websites....on the 'InterWeb' thingy as another person called it......there was none of any standard and three in USA that was not bad, so...............the idea was born, I said to my husband, instead of making sites for everyone else, I think I would like one for myself.

So I became involved in the design,look and feel of it and wanted to control this as a small cottage industry.......little did we know how this would grow and grow to today, where we have the largest online wig business in the UK.

After 2004 we knew the business was flying, so we had a professional web designer, Leigh, design a first-class site for us as image is so important. We still have Leigh to do our design and we take advice and listen to him when he advise a change of look......keep it simple and easy to navigate with clean lines.

Now I have caught up with the years since 1963, I will update my blog and publish tips, offers, new designs etc on a regular basis. I will be happy to explain the difference between monofilaments, lace fronts, hand-tied and wefted wigs....back soon

1994 .........

1994 - I decided that I would threw myself back in to Salon-based work and quit all the demos, I had bought a bungalow with Andrew and it was time for change. I cannot recall a great deal regarding fashion or new - looks, but I was satisfied to work and enjoy the salon, this phase was a complicated one, it entailed divorce, well-being of the children and trying to do the right thing....this continued up until 2002, that was the year I was 50 and it was on my birthday I decided to sell the salon. I returned from the Caribbean and announced to my staff that I was selling up after 35 years back-breaking but thoroughlly enjoyable career of hairdressing.

It did not take long for the staff to realise what a goldmine this could be to them as it had been for Marcia and I. Liz and Caroline, were my two proteges, liz was the most naturally talented apprentice I had seen for years and Caroline was the most willing apprentice and just loved hairdressing, a great team that developed in to great hairdressers, they eventually bought the salon and I had retired....so I thought

1993 onwards

As I was a single working mum, I felt very torn at times trying to do the right thing, but somehow I managed, Kate often came to work with me after school and as she had grown up in the Salon environment, she was a natural with customers. Fashions in the hairdressing industry had veered to colour, perming was on the way out, therefore the cut was even more important. I would like to say that it was my 'Forte', I loved it, I was the most awkward cutter to look at as I held my scissors between my thumb and first finger, this was due to teaching myself to cut hair at 11 years old, I must add that I did teach all my juniors the correct way......only Stephen Jones of Manchester cut the same way as I did, and we both were in the world cup team.

Marcia and I were still with Tresemme, but cut backs were showing, eventually Marcia and I decided it was time to 'move on'.....back in to the salon - full-time. This was the winter of 93/4 and some days we had to travel to the Lake District or Newcastle and back in one day so our decision to leave Tresemme was the right thing to do for us. Marcia and I had both met our future husbands at this time (although we did not realise this at the time), we wanted to be at home on a weekend, Marcia with James and myself with Andrew.