New beauty business opens in former South Shields taxi office at Westoe

Gurpreet Kaur, 39, has opened the eyebrow and face threading salon called the ‘Threading Bar,’ in Dean Road, Westoe, after gaining more than six years experience working in the industry.

The mum-of-two has always dreamed of being her own boss and now that dream has become a reality after she opened the doors to her salon for the first time on Monday, April 12, as lockdown measures were eased.

Under the Government roadmap, ‘personal care’ premises including hairdressers, barbers, beauty salons and nail parlours may reopen with safety measures in place.

Gurpeet and her husband Johnny Basra, 47, took over the former Westoe Taxi premises in October 2020 and since then have been working hard to renovate the space into a salon.

The couple have painted the previously nondescript building front an eye-catching violet, though the decor inside is more monochrome, with wood panelling and black-and-white pictures.

Treatments at the Threading Bar include eyebrow and face threading as well as eyebrow and eyelash tinting.

Gurpreet, who used to work on the Superdrug threading bar in the town centre, said: “I am so pleased to be open.

"It’s really exciting.”

Husband Johnny couldn’t be prouder of his wife’s achievements and hopes the community will support the local business as we emerge from lockdown over the coming weeks.

He admitted the couple were nervous about opening the venture amid the coronavirus crisis, with safety being a concern and the economy taking a battering.

But they are hopeful it will be a success and are ‘buzzing’ to be open.

“This is Gurpreet’s first business so it is a massive thing for her,” he said.

“We had been thinking about launching the business for a long time but were quite scared with what was going on with the pandemic.

“We are buzzing to be open.

"Gurpreet is a wonderful person and deserves this chance in life.”

Walk-in appointments are available, although customers can also book in advance by contacting the salon directly.

The salon is open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5pm.

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