Three weeks ago, the GO! & Express reported on Nicole Michelle Hair Salon in Buffalo Flats possibly having to close its doors because the building they were renting was set to go up for sale.
However, businessman Roderick Poovan saw the GO! & Express article and has since joined the salon as an investor, ensuring it remains in business.
The owner of Nicole Michelle Hair Salon, now called NMH Co, Nicole Clayton, is elated.
“Because of the GO! covering our story, you guys at the newspaper basically helped to keep eight people employed.
“If it wasn’t for the GO!, keeping our jobs would not have been possible.
“Community journalism is really important because without the GO! our story would not have gotten out there,” Clayton said.
The salon, which was established during the Covid lockdown, has already built up a strong and loyal client base.
Interested in developing the salon’s business model, Poovan proposed a partnership to Clayton.
“I have always had an interest in hair salons and how I came in is purely by seeing the article and the timing was right on my end,” Poovan said.
“I spoke to Nicole and it felt like we were just interlinked in how we saw things.
“We feel that what I have in mind for the salon’s growth works out perfectly from a business perspective,” Poovan said.
He also supports Clayton’s goal to provide quality service at an affordable price to the community, and to provide interns with experience to enable them to find employment.
“We want to upskill young stylists and the expansion of the business means we can turn NMH into a training centre.
“We actually have two possible trainees coming in for an interview next week and it’s this type of growth in the possibility for recruiting that we want to build on.
“People are our passion and youth development is important for us.
“If we can take young stylists under our wing, they can go on to start their own salons,” Poovan said.
Clayton and Poovan are also interested in exploring the possibility of expanding the business in Vincent Park.
Clayton said she was excited about the partnership and believed it would enable the business to grow to greater heights, assisting more people to achieve their dreams.
Thanking her loyal clients from Buffalo Flats, Clayton said she hoped they would continue to support her at her salon’s new premises at 62 Frere Road in Vincent.
