A woman went from working in a tiny room of a beauty salon to establishing a booming business of her own.
Leona Ashleigh Brown, a 35 year-old from Upton, runs Leona Ashleigh Beauty. The business is hugely popular in the area, with a rating of 4.9 from 89 reviews on Facebook.
Leona did not always plan to become a beautician, originally aiming to become a solicitor. Eventually she began a career in teaching, working in a school for children with special educational needs.
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It was while working in this school that Leona realised how beauty could help the pupils and staff alike. Leona said: “To help them calm down, I decided to go into the holistic side of beauty with massages. We could massage the hands and head just to help calm them down and to help staff wellbeing too.”
She was soon offered a job in a Bebington beauty salon in 2015, a role she thrived in and quickly outgrew. Leona said: “I started in a little room in a beauty salon. But soon it was too small, so I decided five years ago to open up my own salon.”
Leona found her work helping others in education was ideal to the responsibilities of a beautician. She said: “We’re like everyone’s counsellor. A beautician and therapist wrapped into one.”
It was during this time that Leona moved away from the holistic side of beauty to lashes and brows, which was more in demand. However, the business suffered severely when lockdown hit, which she described as " absolutely soul destroying" as her loyal customer base was unable to visit. Leona had to adapt again.
She said: “I opened up another business during lockdown, it was a fluke, it was never meant to be a business. I’d just send little pick-me-up cheese boxes to my friends and leave them at the door.”
This quickly grew into Sweet Cheesus Grazing, organising catering for weddings, funerals and christenings after lockdown ended.
And while she still has her cheese business Leona's passion was always in trying to get her salon back on track.
Thankfully, word of mouth spread quickly, which Leona credits to the area. She said: “Girls in Merseyside take pride in their appearance. It’s a good place to be.”
Leona’s salon has recently undergone a huge refurbishment, a tangible example of how her business has improved. She said: “It’s taken a bit of time to build the clientele back up again because people go elsewhere but it’s really good now. Business is booming again.”
She added: “It's a calm environment, there’s no airs and graces about us, you don’t need to be all done up to come in. We’re a friendly salon and we care about our clientele.
“They know my history, I know theirs. It’s like catching up with your friends.”
Despite this success, Leona feels that being a beautician does not carry the respect it merits. She said: “Every single day you’re working even when you’ve got days off. You’re still answering messages and doing stuff behind the scenes.”
She added: “I still think there’s a perception that we’re a bit dosy and it’s not really a career. Actually, beauty is a very hard industry because we have to know the anatomy of the face, body, everything.”
Nevertheless, Leona finds working in the industry alongside her colleagues incredibly rewarding. She said: “I work with a couple of girls in a salon. It's wonderful to be part of a team that make people look and feel good.”
Leona Ashleigh Beauty is located at 223 Church Road in Tranmere. You can find out more about the business by visiting it's Facebook page. You can also order professional gathering from Leona via Sweet Cheesus Grazing.
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