Ibiza Reward For Entire Staff
Chris le Good wrote his fiancé, Lindzi, a children’s book titled Rock & Fairy for her 30th birthday and eight months later, in 2009, they opened a salon with the same name in St Margarets, Twickenham.
Having completed a decade in business, starting out with three employees, they have now taken their 14 stylists, assistants, apprentices, and receptionists to celebrate with a weekend in Ibiza.
Said Chris: “We couldn’t have asked for a better team. They are the magic that keeps Rock & Fairy rolling and we couldn’t be more proud of how hard they work for us. Individually, they are dedicated to hairdressing and passionate to get the exact style clients want. Collectively, they ensure that everyone who enters Rock & Fairy has an amazing experience and want to return again and again. For our 10 year anniversary, we took them all to Ibiza for the weekend as a thank you for all their love, hard work, and support.”
2009 was a pretty busy year for the young business owners, Lindzi leaving Toni & Guy in Richmond after 12 years, Chris off on a seven-week tour of South America before quitting his band The Draytones, the couple opening the salon, and getting married five months later. And a busy life over the past ten years has seen them add to their family.
Said Lindzi: “Just over two years after setting up in business our baby girl Misty was born and three years later we welcomed our baby boy Cassius. Both have grown up visiting the salon and Misty has already taken to hairstyling like a pro! We always say though that Rock & Fairy was our firstborn.
“We know that the High Street has been having a tough time but both believe that there is a place for small businesses like ours that reflect your personality. Everything stems from what we feel is right for the salon. Independent businesses give a High Street its heart and soul, they understand the local community and work hard to keep standards high. We have huge respect for independent shop owners and all their staff.”
And Chris has advice for those contemplating starting up. “Don’t overthink the negatives because there are so many more positives, know that you will make mistakes, take advice from everyone, and revel in the fact that every decision you make will be yours. Whatever the business, there will come a time when you have to go with your gut feeling – be immensely proud that you took on that challenge.”
Lindzi, having lived in St.Margarets says: “We have such amazing relationships with local clients and fellow traders, we wouldn’t have done it anywhere else. We very nearly took a nearby shop and were so disappointed not to that we told the landlord if circumstances changed we would be there in a heartbeat. Luckily, the landlord told Karen who ran the previous Karen Taylor Gallery and she was looking to close soon and needed a new tenant. Within ten minutes of meeting we had an offer accepted. No agents, no drama. It is beautiful, with a gorgeous shop front, we knew we had really found the ideal home for Rock & Fairy.
“Neither of us had run a business before and but we knew it was a good move, we wanted independence and we trusted each other completely, so we’ve never looked back.
“We work as hard today as the day we opened and have built up a very loyal and extremely kind client base. We enjoy seeing our regular customers as much as the new clients we welcome to the salon every week. Rock & Fairy is going from strength to strength and we were delighted to share it with our incredible team and amazing clients. Although we couldn’t take all the clients to Ibiza, they were delighted we were taking the staff and really didn’t mind one weekend with the closed sign on the door!”
Patricia McLoughlin