A young hairdresser who set up his own salon in Abergavenny hopes to build on the success of the business by opening more salons after being nominated for Stylist of the Year at the 2021 Hair and Beauty Awards taking place on December 5.

24-year-old Tommy Brooks opened Tommy Brooks Hairdressing salon on Cross Street in 2019 and despite the disruptions caused by Covid has managed to build a successful business.

The salon specialises in all aspects of hairdressing including colouring, extensions and haircuts, and sells a number of products from popular well-known brands including Eufora, Sensus and HH Simonsen.

All products sold at the salon are eco-friendly, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free. Since starting the business over two years ago, Tommy has managed to build up a strong client base and has grown the business to include three stylists who work with him as staff members.

Speaking about the salon, Tommy said: “It has been fantastic to receive so much support from local people in the area and I’m delighted at how the business has grown over the last two years.”

Tommy has worked as a hairdresser for the last ten years having previously worked in another salon in Abergavenny, and has been a stylist for six years. He also works as a salon educator for the company Passion 4 Hair, educating for four brands delivering product knowledge and practical training to other salons up and down the country. “I really enjoy working as an educator with Passion 4 Hair”, said Tommy.

“It is a very rewarding experience and is a great opportunity to meet new people and visit different salons, all of which can be a beneficial experience in helping me grow my business.”

Having been trained as a stylist whilst working at a previous salon, Tommy now does the same with his current stylists who train with him before being formerly assessed working in the salon by an assessor.

Like many salons, the business has endured a difficult time during the Covid pandemic being forced to close on numerous occasions.

“It was a very challenging time for us, especially as a relatively new business, but we are very lucky to have such loyal clients and have been very grateful for their support”, said Tommy.

“We used social media to keep in contact with clients, and I also rang clients personally to keep in touch. I was also very active on social media posting everyday keeping clients informed of any changes.”

Selling exclusive products from various brands, the salon was able to sell products online to clients with the business receiving a lot of support from online during the pandemic.

With the salon increasingly busy with new clients, Tommy recently hired a new stylist and is hopeful of expanding his already successful business. He said: “I’m always looking at ways I can take this business forward. It has been brilliant to bring in our new stylist Danielle, she previously worked in Abergavenny salons for a number of years and is looking forward to meeting new clients.

“Hopefully in the future I can bring in more clients and stylists to the salon, and even expand to open more salons in the local area.”