The owner of a Swinton hair and beauty salon has been recognised for her hard work over the past 10 years.
Stacey Brogan, owner of Elysium Hair and Beauty, was visited on Saturday by Salford Mayor Paul Dennett and Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long-Bailey who called the salon a “real gem”.
Ms Brogan said: “It feels like a little bit of an achievement.
“It’s gone fast because time flies when you are having fun.”
On the support from the Mayor and Rebecca Long-Bailey, Ms Brogan added: “It was probably the first time in 10 years that anyone has actually recognised it locally.
“It was really humbling to have a positive chat about supporting local businesses.
“It’s nice to get that bit of support and recognition especially during the times now when everyone is trying to support local.”
“We were shut a little bit longer than some other establishments during the first lockdown so people were a little bit cautious about coming in.
“The fact that they have come in shows good spirit really, and they were lovely.”
Paul Dennett, Mayor of Salford said on his Twitter: “It’s vital to show our local businesses the support they deserve. They are the heart of our communities, let’s show them support!”
Lovely to meet Stacey and her lovely team at @Elysiumhairandb with @salford_mayor this #SmallBusinessSaturday, as they celebrate their 10 year anniversary. A real gem pic.twitter.com/9eSRiBix9Y
— Rebecca Long-Bailey (@RLong_Bailey) December 5, 2020
Ms Brogan said of the decade in business: “It’s actually been a bit of a pleasure this time to look back.
“I don’t think I’ve really appreciated it as much in the past. I think that’s maybe because this year has been more of a struggle than most.”
Despite the incredible feeling, Ms Brogan was not able to celebrate her achievement in the way she had hoped.
She explained: “I would have liked a party but obviously because of circumstances we couldn’t.
“We’d normally serve prosecco and cakes and have big staff night out but I’m just going to hold it until next year.
“I don’t want to half-heartedly do it, I want everyone who has been there in the last ten years to hopefully try and attend and celebrate with us.”
Over the first lockdown in March, Ms Brogan took the opportunity to organise a refit on the salon to be able to accommodate for social distancing.
On the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on her business, Ms Brogan said: “It’s negatively impacted everyone in some way.
“I personally have got a lot of positives out of it because it was my only option, but financially it’s been a little bit difficult.
“The clients that come in have all had their own struggles.
“It gives them a few hours of not really worrying about what is going on outside the salon.
“Having that little bit of time out and self-care is what people need. The fact that we are doing it as safely as possible and following all the guidelines relaxes people.”
In the coming years, Ms Brogan plans to expand her team to create more jobs and even work towards becoming a training academy to help others explore their passion for hairdressing.
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