and… “A Happy New Year”
As 2016 comes to a close, so does my seventh month working as receptionist at Zeitgeist Hair. It has flown by, so let’s take a look back at what’s been happening for us all here in the salon. What a year it has been! Now let me take you back to the beginning of the year when we had Heart Gallery http://heartgallery.co.uk and Hat therapy sharing our window and space http://hat theraphy hebden , lovely though it was to have them, the boxing day flood were devastating, but along with this was also the strength of spirit and absolute defiance, of a community refusing to be beaten. With every tear of sadness shed, it appears that there were also measures of hope and joy. Sandbags filled with, and representing true northern grit. Let me take you to the last weekend in May when I received the call from Debbie letting me know I’d got the job! Yippee! Starting the very next day was a whirlwind but I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge.
Things were go go go, Kaye was in the process of making the final touches to her stunning ‘Rebel’ shoot, https://www.zeitgeisthair.com/albums/gallery/rebel/ my first real insight into the the editorial quality of the work completed by the artists within this salon. Karen had just welcomed baby Holly Rose and the salon floor had just welcomed it’s newest stylist Sam. Sam completed her training at Sassoon’s in the 80s, along with continuing to creatively cut hair, Sam branched out, completing an Art degree, (there will be more to tell about this in future blogs, as Sam shares her creativity). After only a few short weeks, we were treated to day out at the DoubleTree Hilton in Manchester, courtesy of Bumble and bumble. Learning everything there is to know about the amazing products we use at Zeitgeist, which was an invaluable experience for those of us new to the salon.
Just as Hebden Bridge was starting to warm up for a rather splendid summer, we were preparing for the alternative Christmas, one town’s celebration of bouncing back so formidably following the floods on Boxing Day 2015. Local businesses got into the spirit with festive windows and mince pies, and many people could be spotted in Santa hats and sunglasses, a great show of community pride and resilience.
Then we were treated to the annual Hebden Bridge Arts Festival http://hebdenbridgeartsfestival.co.uk, which is always an exciting time in the valley, with a vast and varied showcase of local talent. Zeitgeist ran an Arts Festival inspired competition, where we asked people to design a hairstyle, with pencil, paint, crayon, whatever they fancied to get their creative juices flowing all in the hopes of winning a free haircut.
In the height of summer we welcomed our second new stylist of the year Melanie, who left the role of artistic director at Vidal Sassoon’s in Manchester, to embark on her own journey of being self employed. Which luckily for Zeitgeist meant that two days a week she was part of the team. September brought the return salon stalwart Karen, who had been enjoying time with Holly Rose and family, but who nevertheless was excited to get back in the saddle, catch up with her clients and just generally have adult conversations. This meant the salon was fit to burst with talented stylists, just in time for our next exciting venture, the Zeitgeist Autumn Photoshoot.
We went ‘into the woods’ for with six models, nine stylists, three assistants and one photographer and the images the were created were stunning. The amazing talent of the Zeitgeist crew was showcased to the highest level, but it was only possible thanks to photographer Justin Garner, MUA Tilly Howarth and the generous donation of garments by the West View Study Centre. A real team effort, it was a real joy to be involved in the day and I cannot wait for the next one. https://www.zeitgeisthair.com/albums/gallery/to-the-woods/
As the end of September drew in, coffee and cake were the order of the day as we held our annual Macmillan Coffee Morning. Where clients and staff alike enjoyed some tasty home baked treats and even a divine lemon tart donated by the Blue Sky Baker. This year was no ordinary year though, we took charity fund raising to the next level when Debbie signed up to ‘Brave the Shave’. She was quickly joined in her endeavour by client and friend Jenny Greenwood, between them, the pair raised just shy of £3000 which is a fantastic achievement. Both ladies have been rocking the look ever since.
October was an exciting month in the hairdressing world as London played host to a plethora of hair shows from the classic to the avant garde, Kaye and Debbie enjoyed several shows over the weekend. Debbie was helping out backstage at NOISE and Kaye attended the Vidal Sassoon show. Back at the salon we were delighted to finally have our new business cards printed, they had been designed by the lovely Louise Lockhart and created by Pennine Signs in Mytholmroyd.
The festive season has been busy as always and the salon has been a hive of activity, in fact whole town has been buzzing with shoppers, even more so, since being voted best Small Market Town of the Year, take that Chipping Norton! Less than a year since the valley bottom was devastated by flooding, Hebden Bridge has well and truly asserted that it is not a force to be reckoned with. In the spirit of giving back, we decided to give the gift of good hair to 24 clients throughout advent, each day one client took a parcel of Bumble and bumble products home with them from under our tree to under theirs. Then a well earned break for stylists, staff and clients alike over the Christmas period. I had a lovely time with family and friends and we are now excited to enjoy some NYE frivolities, to ring in the New Year in style.
Looking forward to 2017, some of us are going to be starting the year with trips, holidays and adventures. Kaye’s jetting to the Canary Islands over the New Year, Becky and family are going to be sunning themselves in Lanzarote and Amy is off to the Gambia. As for me, I’ll be taking a brief hiatus from reception as I’m off to Cuba for a month, but I’ll be back manning the phones as of February.
Finally, everyone at Zeitgeist Hair would like to wish you all a happy, prosperous and exciting New Year, and look forward to seeing you in 2017!