The Dollhouse Co has won North West Beauty Salon of the Year

Kerry Eckersall, 35, has been the proud owner of The Dollhouse Co in Astley Bridge for seven years, the same salon where she trained to become a beauty therapist.

And now, her Blackburn Road business has scooped the North West Beauty Salon of the Year at the North West Hair and Beauty Awards.

After years of working in the industry both here and overseas, the beauty therapist from Sharples said the award feels "overwhelming" but "exciting".

Kerry said: “We initially found out late last year that we had been nominated and made a finalist for the award and then we attended the North West Hair and Beauty Awards on January 27, and our award was right at the end of evening.

“When it was announced we had won we were overwhelmed but really happy about it obviously.

“I have been in the industry for around 20 years and had the salon for seven years.

“I am an independent educator so seven years ago I opened up the salon and an academy, so it was one of the first independent academies to be opened in the area.”

Kerry said it feels really "sentimental" that she has won this award for her business which was the same business where she started her career.

She said: “I went to Sharples School and after leaving I attended a local college to study beauty therapy. From there I became a Saturday girl and a trainee at the same salon that I own today.

“I became qualified and worked in the salon for some time before I then decided I wanted to travel and worked on international cruise ships doing beauty which was a bit of an adventure.

“And then when I came back, I decided to grow my roots somewhere, so I went to the University of Bolton, and I did my teaching qualification and then I got a job at the local college where I taught for between six or seven years.

Kerry Eckersall (Image: Kerry Eckersall)“And that’s when I then decided I wanted to do something more independent for myself.

“So, the opportunity came up where the salon I initially trained in when I was a Saturday girl, when I started off, became available to rent and it just seemed like a really massive opportunity, and it felt like almost fate really.

“It carries a lot of sentimental value to me.

“I decided to take the plunge starting up a business on my own which was a risk going from a secure job to being self-employed, but it has been amazing.

“The salon was vacant, so I decided to take the opportunity and I have built from the ground up really.”

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Kerry said she wants to teach her students at the salon academy that anything is achievable if you set yourself a goal.

She said: “Anything is achievable and that is something we want to instil in our students that if they work hard, they can open their own salons.

“Look at what I have done, I have gone from being a Saturday girl to a business owner of the salon that I trained in.

“Opening my own business was always an aspiration and was always a main focus goal but I never dreamt it would be the actual salon that I first started in, so it definitely means a lot more.

The Dollhouse Co, Astley Bridge (Image: Kerry Eckersall)“I used the knowledge of working in education to open up the academy too.”

Kerry said winning the award is already making a difference to her business.

She said: “There has been a lot of strain on the high street recently, especially for small businesses and an award like this has definitely boosted our business already.

“We are a very busy salon at it is, but we have seen an increase in calls and an increase in enquiries about our training courses.”

The Dollhouse Co is a salon run by beauty and education specialists who teach clients so they have a great knowledge and can go away with something they have been taught and not just a treatment.

Treatments at the salon include nails and beauty, facials, massages, lashes as well as fully accredited courses.

As well as winning this award, Kerry has also been nominated for Bolton Businesswoman of the Year as part of the Bolton Women in Business Awards.

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.