Member Article

Anna's salon flourishing in historic surroundings

Talented beautician Anna Duckett had always dreamed of having her own salon, but she never thought it would be in the heart of one of Huddersfield’s most historic textile sites.

Anna’s flourishing salon, Boo-Tique, is situated in the 13-acre Park Valley Mills in Lockwood, once the home of one of Huddersfield’s most famous and successful mills.

The flagship site, which is owned by Park Valley Mills Ltd, has been transformed into a high-quality business park, featuring 18 brand-new industrial units with office and storage space and a state-of-the-art office building.

Park Valley Mills had previously been derelict for many years, with buildings falling into disrepair. Now the revamped site off Meltham Road in Lockwood is creating new jobs and regenerating the area.

Anna commented: “I suppose this is quite an unusual place for a beauty salon as they are normally found on a bustling high street. But this is perfect for me. It’s only two miles from Huddersfield town centre and there’s plenty of on-site parking, which is a massive bonus.

“The actual space is perfect, too. It features my bespoke nail bar and a massage area, together with room for all my beauty products. It feels like home,” she explained.

“I’ve wanted to be a beautician for as long as I can remember. I loved doing nails and make up as a child, so once I’d finished school it was a natural progression to do a two-year NVQ course at Kirklees College.

“Once I had completed the course in 2016, I set up Boo-Tique, named after my childhood nickname Boo. The salon was originally situated in the centre of Huddersfield, before I moved to Park Valley Mills. The move has been a tremendous success and we have never been busier.

“Our core business is nail, nail art, waxing, massage, spray tan and skin care and we have a fabulous range of merchandise from Environ, who are renowned globally for their superb skin care products, based on scientific research. We also give advice on diet and livestyle.”

Anna lives with her partner Josh in Upper Thong, near Huddersfield.

“I have been absolutely thrilled that nearly all of my clients have followed me to Park Valley Mills. Customer loyalty and retention is crucial to the business and I am delighted that people feel as much at home here as we do.

“With Christmas approaching, we are gearing up for a very busy time. But that suits me just fine. It gives me so much pleasure helping to make my customers look good and feel good about themselves. I can’t imagine doing anything else,” said Anna.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .