Meet The Salon Owner: Aaron Jones Hairdressing

Our new feature – Meet The Salon Owner – gives business owners and managers the chance to shine a spotlight on their salon and showcase some of their best work.

Here 31-year-old Aaron Jones tells us how a break from hairdressing made him realise where his passion for the industry was, why he decided to open his own business and his hopes for adding to his awards cabinet.

If you would like to appear in our Meet The Salon Owner feature, email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk

A colour transformation

What’s the name of the salon/business?

Aaron Jones Hairdressing

What’s the address?

26 Argyle Street, Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, CH41 6AE

Are you the owner/manager?

Yes, I’m the owner.

How many employees do you have?

There are nine of us in total - a mixture of employed and self-employed staff throughout the salon.

When did you open the salon?

I opened the salon in November 2017.

Aaron Jones Hairdressing has just celebrated its fifth birthday

Are you local to the area? Did you grow up here?

I actually grew up in New Brighton so not too far away from the area.

Tell me a bit about your salon/business

Aaron Jones Hairdressing (AJH) is a boutique style salon centred around three simple principles: artistic freedom, quality service and putting the client first.

What do you do? What services do you provide?

AJH offers all aspects of hairdressing, aesthetics and sports massage as well as makeup, eyelashes and eyebrow treatments under one roof. I do hairdressing and specialise in colouring, cutting and extensions.

The salon on Hamilton Square in Birkenhead has a warm and welcoming feel

Why did you decide to open your own salon?

I decided to open AJH after a few years of not being able to find my place in other salons. I had a particular vibe in mind and this was missing from all the places I’d worked previously. So, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and try to create an artistic space that was classy enough to submerge the client in luxury but still feel they could tap into a relaxed atmosphere, away from the stresses of everyday life. I also wanted space to allow stylists to work creatively and thrive in finding their own niche.

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What’s your hair and beauty background?

I’ve been in the industry for almost 12 years, with a few years break somewhere in the middle working in the hospitality industry. I was a salon manager by the age of 20 and I was featured in my first magazine at the same time, after winning a national magazine competition. I made my way to city centre stylist in Liverpool shortly after but decided the revolving door clientele wasn't for me. I gave it up for a while and did other things but didn’t really get the satisfaction that I’d felt seeing clients and doing their hair. I opened my own salon at 25 and went on to be selected as global brand Revlon male visionary in 2019 by the multi award winning Mark Leeson as part of ‘The Visionaries’ team. This brought me some fantastic opportunities, shooting in world renowned studios, travelling to Italy for shows and featuring in numerous magazines – one was a whopping 16 pages! Then the pandemic hit and my business took priority so I had to step away from everything else to try and stay in business. Once I reopened after the lockdowns, I won the Young Person in Business Award 2021 and The National Beauty Awards Best Hairdresser 2022.

Stunning, glossy waves

Why this type of business?

I came back to hairdressing after working as part of a management team in the hospitality industry - what a different world that was! I soon realised how much satisfaction I used to get from making a client feel great and making someone’s vision a reality.

How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your business?

The pandemic gave me the opportunity to pick my business apart and reflect on what mistakes I had made so far and, more importantly, what I was going to do about it. It was hard going from seeing hundreds of customers each week in the salon to seeing nobody at all and it took a while to get used to it. I managed to reconnect with my clients through social media and on outdoor walks and it made me realise that I’m a people person. Seeing people thrive and making them feel great was important and I worked hard on building a brand that had a reason.

What makes your business different to others in the same area/field? What sets your business apart from your competitors?

I’s hard to explain but I think it’s the atmosphere in the salon - is so unique. We aren’t in an affluent area but we have one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings available and we are able to shine brightly here. I encourage all my staff and my clients to be their true authentic self. I believe that everyone is different and these differences should be enhanced. One size fits all doesn’t work for me or my customers.

There are nine members of staff working at AJH

Why do loyal clients return to your business?

I think our encouragement for clients to be themselves is massive and the ability to unlock confidence in themselves through hair and beauty is a power in itself. And we have great results of course too! If you leave somewhere feeling great with a new look, why would you not go back?

What’s next? What do the next few months hold for you and your salon?

This year is all about education for me and my team. I strongly believe that we all need to keep learning every day in hair and beauty industry. Winning the award for Best Hairdresser 2022 in the National Beauty Awards last month was a huge boost and I’m now striving for the Best Salon Award to go with it.