Hairdresser Andrea’s time to rest after 50 years on her feet
SHE HAS BEEN SNIPPING AND STYLING SINCE SHE LEFT SCHOOL
Andrea Smith finished trimming a gentleman’s hair, she said: “I’ll be with you in a minute, have a seat”. These are words that she must have said to customers walking through her door thousands of times over the years.
She does not know what she is going to do during her retirement after 50 years cutting the locks of Derby folk.
Andrea, 65, started hairdressing in 1972 after leaving Hardwick School for Girls aged 15 and training at college in Normanton Road for the profession that she would be doing for the rest of her working life.
She says the job, which she found after sending a letter to the Derby Telegraph, has been a joy to do, but now is the right time to call it a day after the end of her business’s current tenancy agreement. Her many satisfied customers will certainly be sad to see her go, but they can still have a chat and a trim at Hair at Andrea’s at the Park Farm shopping complex in Allestree until August.
Having had a business there in some form for 25 years, Andrea will make way for a new Turkish barber’s. Five years ago, she took the place of an Indian takeaway.
She said: “I really do need to have a rest. I’ve always worked, apart from having my kids, Richard, who’s now 40, and Matt, who’s 38. But I’ve got no idea what I’m going to do.
“I’m looking forward to not having to think about what to do longer term and think about things at shorter notice, on a more of a spur of the moment basis rather than having in mind people’s long term appointments.
“A lot of my customers are the ones I see on a regular basis. They’re so loyal, some coming back and seeing me for 20-odd years. Some of those I first had 25 years ago I still have.
“They’ve been asking me if I could come to their house or asked if I’d thought about buying a van and converting it into a mobile business. I said they’ve got to accept that I’m done.”
Andrea says that she has become an unofficial therapist for her regulars over the years as they chat through their lives. She said: “People do tell me what they don’t tell anyone else. People come and unburden themselves, that’s quite common.
“I ask people questions to start a conversation depending who they are. Some I’ve got to know their family and their children, so it’s usually about that. Or you’re following up on something they’ve told you five weeks ago.
“I love the people here, it’s a nice area. Especially some of the older ones, they’ve all got a story to tell.
“But there’s also a lot of variety. Younger people want the modelling stuff. But now I’ve had to take on all styles as those I’ve employed have all gone on to other jobs. I’m multitasking.”
Andrea thinks that she had limited choices of career when she was younger and her job is sometimes undervalued, but lockdown shone a light on the importance of hairdressers and she is glad she chose the job she did. She said: “It’s a lovely job, and it’s still underrated. After lockdown everyone was in the same boat. We were fully booked and for a while we wondered if we were going to be able to pick up the scissors and carry on as normal.
“People thought it was wonderful to be able to get hair done. It makes people feel better. Hairdressing in general is a career that people would not want their children to do for whatever reason.
“Schools are encouraging their pupils to go to university, but I would absolutely recommend hairdressing as you can start your own business and employ other people. It ticks so many boxes.
“I always wanted to be a hairAS dresser, it’s the only thing I’ve ever done, a lot start and then give up. You’ve got to be able to change the style with the times but a lot of people don’t want high fashion and instead want their hair done how they’ve always wanted it. That’s where I come in.
“This is my fourth shop in Park Farm. The last shop I was in was three storeys. I decided to leave because this came up, a former Indian takeaway, five years ago.
“I went to senior school for four years but that didn’t offer opportunities for further education, you just had to get a job. It was more or less what you could get rather than you choose. You’d write a letter to the Derby Evening Telegraph and they got you a job.
“I went to a college on Normanton Road which isn’t there any more. I didn’t pass my eleven plus, that segregates you at that point. I wasn’t part of the ‘brainy crew.’ We were referred to as dum-dum really.
“A lot of people also went to work in factories – there used to be a lot then. Whether that was weaving or garment making. Or you could be a hairdresser or shop assistant. If you wanted to be something like a doctor they’d laugh at you.
“Things have changed, things are open to anyone now no matter what.”
People do tell me what they don’t tell anyone else. People come and unburden themselves, that’s quite common. Andrea Smith