A local hairdresser in Islington is thrilled to be celebrating twenty years in business this month.
Hairbase salon in Chapel Market has survived two recessions and out-lived the markets once-popular stalls.
Owner Michael Kelly looks back at the past twenty years he has been spent working next to Chapel Market. The place was once laden with traders; it’s a far cry from today, when stalls are less frequent and just over half the market space is left vacated.
Mr Kelly said: “Many years ago, the stalls used to go the whole way up the market. Now it has shortened to halfway and a lot of pitches are empty. It used to be a lot busier than it is now.”
Having watched the area change dramatically since the salon’s opening in 1992, Mr Kelly said it has been substantially redeveloped.
The market’s organic trade on a Sunday has revitalized the area, bringing in a new crowd of shoppers who come for free-range and organic produce. The popular N1 shopping centre on Parkfield Street has seen consumers flock to Islington as a retail destination.
Mr Kelly said keeping prices reasonable throughout the years is one of the reasons his business has survived for two decades.
He said: “It’s like riding out a storm. As long as you are offering a good service at a reasonable price, then customers will keep coming back. I’d like to thank all the clients over the last 20 years. Some have been coming for the whole 20 years and I would love to give a special thank you to them.”
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