Lilys salon, in Diss, celebrates a decade on the high street

This month marks a decade since Alice Harvey became one of the youngest hair salon owners in Norfolk – and business could not going better for the 28-year-old.

Back in 2011, Mrs Harvey opened Lilys, in Victoria Road – in reference then-18-year-old’s middle name.

Having to battle with the reluctance of clients to put their trust into a teenage hairdresser – Mrs Harvey and her husband Callum, also 28 – have now built themselves one of the best-known salons in the region, picking up numerous awards along the way.

“I went straight from school into work,” said Mrs Harvey, who studied at Hartismere School, in Eye.

“I worked my way up to renting a chair at another salon, before I decided I wanted to run a salon myself.

“There’s never a perfect time to open a business, regardless of your age, but when you’re younger you’re certainly a lot braver.

“It was just me working her on my own, and sometimes its difficult to convince people when you’re super young that you know what you’re doing.”

One way the Harveys managed to build up their business is through a savy use of social media – particularly Instagram, which was a little more than an obscure phone application when they first opened their doors.

“When I first started, Instagram wasn’t a thing,” said Mrs Harvey, who lives in Tharston. “The way we got our name out was always through word of mouth, and good hairdressing, of course. Now, we use Instagram every day. It’s a way for people to see what work we do and what services we provide.

“Our industry has changed in other ways, too,” she added. “People want different things now, which means we have to offer a lot more, so our job has become a lot more complex.”

The past 10 years have not been without their plaudits, either; in 2019, the salon was named as one of the top five colourists in the UK, by haircare brand Goldwell.

To find out more, visit search ‘Lilys Hair Salon’ on Facebook or follow
@lilys_hairsalon on Instagram.