Shine Holistic Salons in Stoke Newington Celebrate 20 Years in Business. Read on for a personal message from Carla...
I wanted to write this in celebration of Shine’s 20th Birthday, without the finances to celebrate in style and throw a typical Shine party, (there have been many over the years) It is an opportunity for reflection and for me quiet, private celebration.
It is rare that I write to you in the first person as my passion for Shine was always about “we” a team of professionals. My designers and architects 20 years ago, were disappointed that I was not going to use my surname “Octigan” as my salon name.
They loved it and had ideas, they were all men, as good as their ideas were and as convincing as that first presentation was, the decision was mine and Shine Holistic, a collaboration was born.
2003 - Where it all began
I had completed my Shiatsu training and was passionate about bringing complementary health into a more current and professional environment. We opened our doors on the 5th of February 2003, I remember the excitement of that first day as clear as if it was yesterday.
It feels almost unbelievable that 20 years have passed, the journey is vast, our teams have been in the hundreds and our clients in the thousands. Our position in Stoke Newington is solid and real, we are part of a wider community, one, we feel, very much a part of.
Shine has become mine and many people’s family, I take joy in the many connections between stylists, practitioners, therapists, assistants and clients. It is so much more than any one person and we step up and support each other when needed. There has been so much generosity within these walls.
The Shine community
Arriving each morning to the many faces of Shine is a daily joy for me, I have been cutting hair for 38 years and still, I love the connection and trust I build with every new and regular client. I see familiar faces, families and friends on my lunch time walks and have been a part of weddings, funerals, birthdays and bar mitzvahs.
My team and my clients have supported me personally through more than one heart break, multiple miscarriages, 6 months of cancer treatment and the stress that was Covid. We are all very much stronger for being part of the Shine community.
The entire concept of Shine is about care and nurturing, a business model built around offering you the very best in ‘personal care’, a sector that did not exist according to our government pre Covid, how wrong they were.
Raise a glass with us!
The last 3 years have left us and our fellow Stokey business owners a little battered and bruised. We have bent and stretched in new ways to try and survive, the ramifications of Brexit, Covid and now the cost of living crisis have tested us all. These things have seriously taken their toll on us as a business and we are doing what we can to keep our doors open. Long may it continue.
So, please if you have the opportunity to raise a glass to Shine today, that would mean a lot to me. I will be opening a bottle of something delicious and sparkling and celebrating all that we are tonight.
Much love from all of us at Shine.
