'I knew the risks' - Heckmondwike hairdresser cut above rest after opening salon during pandemic

Mother-of-two Katrina Carter, 34, from Birkenshaw, recently won Top Rated Salon 2020 from national chain Treatwell and has been nominated for Stylist of the Year 2020 from the national Salon Awards.

It comes after Mrs Carter, who has 18 years experience within the industry, decided to open her own salon, The Pin Up Hair, in High Street, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic on August 13.

She said: “I’ve wanted my own salon for a while, but my plan was to wait for my youngest child to start school in a few years time.

“But when the first lockdown hit it started to make me think about what I wanted to do next in life.

“I wanted something to happen, something exciting and something for me.

"I've been ‘mum’ for five years now and I wanted to kick start my career and be able to guide the salon how I wanted.

"I knew opening a business during a pandemic is risky, but life’s too short.”

However, the risk paid off for the stylist, who said she was ‘shocked’ to hear about her award success.

“I was shocked,” she said. “It’s the first hair competition I have entered.

“I cried, rang my dad to tell him and opened a bottle of fizz to celebrate.”

At the salon, Mrs Carter employs a female hair stylist, a trainee barber, a nail technician, and a microblader.

The award-winning businesswoman is now getting to grips with a work-family life balance with husband Robert, and children Florence and Reginald, while keeping an eye on the awards results on December 12.

“We’re making a big thing of it and celebrating in the salon whether we win or not,” she said.