A mum of four from Redcar is opening a new hair salon after fulfilling a lifelong dream she put on hold for years to raise her family.
Annette Homer, 45, from Stockton but grew up in Redcar, said owning her own salon is the result of a “lifetime’s work” and a leap of faith after years of freelancing to support her four children.
The new salon, The White Hair, which is located at 22 Coatham Road, Redcar, will officially open its doors today (Wednesday, April 22) after more than a decade of building a loyal customer base.
Ms Homer said the new venture has been “a long time coming”.
She said: “I qualified straight out of school and went on to manage several salons, but then I had my children and everything quite rightly took a different path.
“I’ve got four beautiful children and they needed me, so for 14 years I worked as a freelancer so I could balance both family life and my career.”
During that time, Ms Homer has built a strong customer base of about 120 regular clients.
She said: “I’ve spent the last five years telling my clients not to tell anybody who does their hair because I just couldn’t fit anyone else in. That’s been the reality of trying to juggle everything.
“But all I have ever dreamed about is having my own space.”
After going through a period of doubting the future of her career, Annette took the plunge and has since invested her life savings into the salon to bring high quality hair dressing to the town.
The 45-year-old said: “I had a bit of a crisis before Christmas where I thought maybe I’d had enough, maybe I was too old for it and maybe the industry had just moved on.
“But when I really thought about it, I realised it’s not that it’s too full, it’s just full of the wrong things.
“I wanted to create a space that is just about really good hair. No beauty add-ons, no distractions, no trying to be everything at once. Just sticking to what I know and doing it properly.”
Annette said it felt “really special” to open the salon in her hometown of Redcar, into a space which has remained empty since the pandemic.
The mum of four said: “The building was so sad when we first got it because it hadn’t reopened after Covid.
“Being from Redcar originally, it felt really special to be the one to bring it back to life again.”
After the lease on February 17, Annette and her husband have spent two months giving the space a major refurbishment.
She said: “We’ve built it ourselves pretty much. My husband has done almost all the work inside, and it’s been a real labour of love.
“It’s taken everything we’ve got, including my life savings, so it really does have to work now."
Annette said she hopes hoping the new salon will show her children it’s never too late to pursue your dreams.
She said: “My kids are at that perfect age now where I can show them that you don’t ever stop believing you can do something.
“I’ve got one training to be a lawyer, one in the armed forces, another going into hairdressing and my youngest about to leave school, so it feels like the right time now.”
Looking ahead, Ms Homer hopes not only to grow the business but to help train the next generation of hairdressers.
Read more
Bold Darlington takeaway promising ‘big‑city flavours’ to relocate due to demand
Darlington physiotherapist with elite sport background opens new clinic
Darlington pizzeria on awards shortlist says local support ‘means a great deal’
She said: “My aim is to bring young people in, train them properly and give them confidence.
“There’s so much talent out there but not always the right support. If I can build a strong team and give people real opportunities, that’s what I want this salon to be about.
“I’m so excited to have my own space and welcome my customers who have supported me for all these years.”
Share