Andrew Collinge has praised the "family spirit" of his Merseyside hairdressing salon as his son Charlie unveiled the business' revamped city centre venue.
The Collinge family have been treating the hair of Scousers ever since Wilfred and Molly opened up a salon in West Derby in the 1940s. Now their grandson Charlie, as managing director of the newly renamed Collinge & Co., has praised the welcoming and calm space of its revamped Castle Street site.
Charlie and his father Andrew, who is still involved in the creative side of the business, gave the ECHO a tour of the new store. Charlie, a 39 year-old living in the city centre, said: "We wanted to make it a more welcoming environment. We've tried to make it a space that, as soon as you walk in, you feel relaxed.”
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He added: “We’d had our Castle Street site for 19 years. We thought about how our clients felt in the space and how we could improve that experience.”
Andrew, 66 from Hoylake, said: “We’ve been going for 83 years. Hopefully, these changes can take us into the next century and beyond.”
Andrew and his wife Liz, following on from Peter, helped grow the business from the 1980s, opening up a new salon in Heswall and becoming regular faces on This Morning when it was filmed at the Albert Dock during the 1990s.
Andrew expressed his delight at Charlie following in their footsteps. He said: “Me and Liz are really proud of what Charlie’s done. He’s creative and has been the driving force behind this salon.
“It’s been a challenging few years for the company, but Charlie has led us through that. And we’ve kept that family spirit in the business.”
The new salon feels more spacious than its predecessor, with an open reception area and bigger gaps between clients. This remodelling came from enforced changes from Covid.
Charlie said: “Clients like that space and privacy. They can have conversations with their hairdressers without fearing being overhead.”
Longer mirrors and more natural lighting have also been put in place to avoid any hair disasters. Charlie added: “It ensures we can analyse people’s hair properly, rather than have your new style look completely different when you step outside.
“We’ve also achieved a feeling of calmness here. With the lighting, it’s not tiring for anyone in here.” The front of the salon displays Collinge’s wide range of products, alongside a digital screen showcasing the company’s long history.
At the back, the private room has been altered too. The new frosted glass is aiming to make customers inside feel connected to the wider space while maintaining privacy. Charlie said: “We’ve achieved a feeling of calmness through the salon.”
Collinge & Co.'s products, from shampoo to hair spray, are displayed at the front. There is also a large digital screen that showcases the company’s history.
Another change has been the name above its salons. They have been renamed Collinge & Co. in what Charlie said is a tribute to the staff and customers of the business who have made the business what it is today.
Charlie said: “It’s not the first time we’ve changed names. Now, we’ve got to the point where we want to recognise the team.
“The reason why we’ve been successful because we’ve always had great hairdressers. Our clients have deep connections with those hairdressers and they keep coming back.”
The training division, which provides hairdressing apprenticeships to salons throughout the North West, is now called Collinge & Co. Training.
Charlie said the company had prided itself on training its own hairdressers. The name change is meant to reflect a commitment to that and providing hairdressing apprenticeships to salons throughout the North West.
Collinge & Co.'s revamped salon is on Castle Street, with sites on Bold Street as well as in Heswall, Ormskirk and The Trafford Centre.
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