Sally Beauty in Ipswich, which was previously for trade only, is now serving retail customers as well.
Staff at the hair and beauty supplier in Goddard Road have told how they supported salons to help keep the industry going during Covid.
The store, which is part of the wider Sally Europe group and sells professional salon products, recently rebranded from its previous name, Salon Services.
Sally still have restrictions in place and many products that are strictly trade only, to ensure they protect trade and retail customers. Trade customers still get their exclusive savings and products and the team are happy to help with any queries.
The store has a new manager, Helen Woiwod, who joined in September.
She ran two salons in Ipswich and Felixstowe at the age of 20 and has also worked in estate agency and in retail management for Oxfam and East Anglia's Children's Hospices.
District manager Hazel Guppy said: "Our focus throughout the pandemic was really on keeping our professional community going.
"When our customers couldn’t trade, rather than try to sell to them, we focused on helping them – providing them with as much information as we could to support them."
She added: "During that time we focused on being a voice of positivity and support, trying to do what we could to make sure that when the restrictions lifted, that our customers were in the best possible position to emerge from the pandemic in a strong position.
"We focused on offering huge amounts of information on business topics and learning new skills, a way to use the time when people couldn’t trade, to invest in themselves in another way."
With customers unable to visit salons during lockdown, demand has grown since things opened up again.
Staff have found the latest Tik Tok trends are often giving inspiration, particularly in the run-up to Christmas.
The store also has the latest products for its professional customers, with many exclusive to trade only.
Hazel said: "Since the pandemic we have seen a huge increase in people wanting to try new trends and styles, and this has only continued throughout the year.
"With social media bigger than ever, we have found many people are becoming more creative and often want to try looks that they have seen shared online."
She added: "This year we have had lots of our customers telling us they want to make Christmas the best yet. So many are already stocking up on gift sets and planning their Christmas party looks."
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