The hairdressers who used to run Toni & Guy in The Lanes in Carlisle have opened up a place of their own in the city.

Sarah and Evan Shek are excited about the freedom they now have after opening up their own salon, E.S Hairdressing, on Castle Street, and are looking forward to becoming more involved in the local community.

Venturing out on their own is something they have always wanted to do but the sudden closure of Toni & Guy prompted them to do it sooner than they planned. The franchise salon in The Lanes unexpectedly closed on Thursday, August 27, after 15 years of business.

Less than two weeks after its closure, Mr and Mrs Shek opened E.S Hairdressing at the former site of the salon Savvy Boutique. The turn around has been so fast they have not yet managed to put up their own signs.

Mrs Shek, who owns the new salon, said: “I’m very excited. I haven’t slept for about a week.”

Their new found freedom has given the couple the chance to put their own stamp on the salon as they are no longer limited by franchise requirements.

They are now able to stock the hair products they think are best and have designed the salon with a much more personal and less corporate look.

Decorating is not yet complete but Mrs Shek did not want to delay the opening.

She said: “I don’t think you can hang around with these things can you? People are still going to want to have their hair cut so you’ve got to respond.”

Because the two opened the new salon so quickly, Mrs Shek said many of their former clients do not actually believe they are open. People used to travel from as far as Newcastle, Lancaster and the south of Scotland to have their hair cut at Toni & Guy and Mr Shek has cut some of his clients’ hair for more than 20 years.

Mr Shek said: “It was the brand that brought clients in on their first visit, it’s the hairdresser that keeps them.”

Mrs Shek hopes that many of their former 4,000 clients will follow them to their new premises.

Two former Toni & Guy staff members, Rebecca Nicholson and Rachael Carrigan-King, are also now working at E.S Hairdressing and another hairdresser will start in October.

Mrs Shek wanted to thank Armstrong Watson accountants, Burnetts Solicitors, property agent Walton Goodland and their new landlady, all of whom she described as amazing.

“I think, given that it’s a very quick turn around, it was meant to be.

“If you believe in fate, I would say it’s definitely meant to be,” she said.