Member Article

Newcastle’s first award winning creative hair salon and photographic studio launches this weekend

An old office and storage basement on one of Newcastle’s most iconic streets is to be given a new lease of life from this weekend when it re-opens as a creative hairdressing and photographic studio.

The Junkyard, on Dean Street, is hosting an exclusive launch party on Sunday (August 24th) to showcase the building’s extensive refurbishment to prospective clients as well as local photographers, models, hair and make-up artists, actors and families or couples who may wish to hire the space.

Toria Swales, an experienced hairstylist working most recently as an internationally published session stylist and her business partner Kayla Wren, a Bachelor of Arts who works as a freelance photographer with clients travelling from as far afield as Los Angeles decided to embark on this unusual venture when they struggled to find an appropriate base from which to work on collaborative projects. Toria, from Newcastle explained “Kayla and I frequently work together and it was frustrating that nowhere local offered the facilities that suited both of our needs so we decided to create one”

“The Junkyard allows us the versatility to work together as well as separately, as the hair salon and photographic studio can also be used for the individual services they offer. And because it’s our business, we have worked hard to put our own stamp on the place by commissioning bespoke reproduction furniture from a local craftsman and Newcastle’s only floor made entirely from pennies.”

In order to realise this vision Toria and Kayla each borrowed £12,500 through PNE Enterprise, a delivery partner of the Government’s low cost Start-Up Loans scheme, to realise their ambition. The junkyard was recently nominated and won the Enterprising Newcastle and PNE Group business achievement award as voted for by Newcastle city council.

The scheme allows entrepreneurs aged 18 and over who have a great business idea, to borrow between £250 and £25,000 at an interest rate of just 6.17% over up to five years, whether they are in a position to start trading or just want to flesh out their idea further. Entrepreneurs will also benefit from business support and advice from a dedicated team of staff at PNE Enterprise, and each loan recipient will be given access to an experienced business mentor to help guide them through their first steps.

Kayla and Toria have used their start up loan to secure,refurbish and equip their new premises and are now excitedly preparing to welcome their first clients as well as looking to recruit other experienced hairstylists.

“We had extensive help from PNE Enterprise in putting our business plan together, and wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”

Kayla added: “We have been working hard to make the space perfect and although we will be taking appointments from Tuesday (August 26th), we are really looking forward to welcoming people through the doors for our official launch party on Sunday evening (August 24th), when it will all come together for the first time. We can’t wait to see everyone’s reaction and start taking bookings.”

To register to attend the launch event, which begins at 6pm, please email info@thejunkyardstudios.co.uk and to find out more about the business, visit www.thejunkyardstudios.co.uk. To find out more about the Start-Up Loans scheme in the North East and Cumbria, as well as how to apply, visit www.startuploansnortheast.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by PNE Enterprise .