AN INSTITUTION that holds a bit of national history is celebrating 70 years in business.
Mary Haworth Beauty Culture, on Warrington Street in Ashton-under-Lyne, has been part of the landscape since 1955.
Now as it toasts seven decades as a trailblazer, the UK’s oldest beauty salon is ready to mark the occasion.
Not bad for something that came out of just wanting something to do.
Suzanne Wood, Mary’s granddaughter, recalled how it formed following the death of her solicitor grandfather.
She said: “I think she decided she just wanted something to do and thought, ‘I’m a bit bored, what shall I do?’
“So, she decided she wanted to go and train in beauty therapy. The only place she could go was London, because that was the only place that did the training at that time.
“She left my dad, who was about 18 at the time, and went to London to train. We still have her certificates, there are two of them, still in the original frames.
“While she was away, she told her friends to look out for a place. They all thought she was mad as a beauty salon in those days, it didn’t happen.
“The original was upstairs here. It had one big room, a little waiting room and a kitchen – that was it.”
Mary’s salon then may sound basic, but it was enough to light a fire in Suzanne.
She added: “I remember going there and help her make cream, because she used to make her own hand cream, cleansing creams, skin toner, cuticle cream.
“Because there was nothing out there and she’d done cosmetic chemistry when she was training.
“I used to help her do that, and she’d do mainly facials. She also did a lot of electrolysis, because it was a new thing. It was mainly facials, electrolysis, and manicures.
“Then she started to employ people. I remember she set up, a cubicle area, so that people could do different treatments.”
With interest piqued, a then 13-year-old Suzanne took the next step by working at her grandmother’s business on Saturdays on eyebrows, when people would queue out of the door.
Full-time employment with the woman she called ‘Nana’ followed as she ended up taking it on, alongside her sister Verity Davies.
And it has always remained in the family as its reputation has spread far beyond Ashton and Tameside.
Suzanne added: “I started full-time when I was 17. Nana decided she wanted to sell the business, and I said, ‘You can’t do that, it’s my Saturday job.’
“So I came into it. I left school as I was doing A-levels and just decided I wanted to come into the business.
“Then Verity followed eight years later and after Nana had been open 15 years, she moved downstairs to where we are today.
“It was a much smaller space than it is today. We just had three treatment rooms and a kitchen and a loo!
“But we changed as new things came into being. We’d always look at them and then think, ‘Will this work for us?’
“Waxing was probably one of the things that Nana had probably didn’t do that we started doing. Nail extensions became a thing, skin care is obviously more prevalent now, but we’ve done all sorts of things.
“Electrolysis, we diversified a little bit with that. When laser came into being, we tried that. It didn’t really work very well at first, but then now it does, because we’ve got a newer, bigger, better machine.”
Mary Haworth may have seen changes over the 70 years, not least the size of its premises after it expanded next door.
It has also had its challenges, not least the advent of Covid-19.
But some things remain the same, not least the commitment to its customers and the area it sits in.
“Did I expect the business to be here 70 years down the line? No, I didn’t,” Suzanne admitted.
“I always said, ‘When I’m 40, I’ll drive up in my Rolls-Royce, collect the money, and go.’ But that’s not happened.
“We had a 50th anniversary ball at the White Hart at Lydgate. I thought, ‘We won’t make 60.’
“Then we got to 60, and again, I thought, ‘70 years, no way.’
“I think probably the one thing that makes it sustainable is the fact that people still like to treat themselves in bad times and in good, don’t they?
“We’ve evolved over that time, we’ve changed massively, but people have always wanted to just treat themselves and still look after themselves.
“We’ve always gone for something that we know works, but Verity’s been instrumental really in sourcing new treatments that we do, like cryotherapy.”
Mary Haworth’s ability to take on innovations as the beauty industry has evolved, particularly in recent years, has kept it at the forefront.
And Verity is still examining different techniques that could be brought in as she said: “Beauty’s an exciting world and it’s evolving as well. There’s a lot of emphasis on it now.
“Take a facial I’ve looked at. Everyone talks about microneedling. Well, this is microneedling without needles. It’s using a natural chemical to actually stimulate the skin.
“Apparently, the results are amazing so, that’s really, really interesting.
“I’ve said to everybody that I’m really sad that I’m at this age now. I wish I was 20 years younger.
“So much is happening and changing and it’s so much more exciting now than it used to be.
“I’m still training now and I’ll still train until I eventually can’t do it anymore. You’ve got to be at the forefront.
“But we’ve always tried to keep to the standards Nana set as well, haven’t we? She did everything with a very high standard.
The next generation of Mary Haworth’s legacy is already set in place as Suzanne’s daughter Lauren is also on board.
She said: “Like mum, I was always in and out as I was younger.
“I started as a Wednesday girl. I used to come in over the summer holidays and I’d be the girl who made cups of tea and did the cleaning.
“Then I went on the payroll when I was 16, and I was receptionist for a couple of summers.
“I never thought I’d be back, but I’ve come off maternity leave and it just made sense. Instead of going back to my previous job, I had a career change.
“I run it with Verity now. I’m taking over what my mum used to do. I’m looking after the running of the salon and the management.
“Then I’ll slowly take more business management things off Verity, so eventually, she can just focus on treatments and be here when she wants to be.
“I was in fashion buying before, but I’ve used all the skills that I learned there, adapted them and brought them here.”
Mary Haworth turned 70 in August, but its celebration will take place in the week starting September 29.
“We’re going to celebrate all week, really,” Lauren added.
“We’re going to be doing a skincare event. Which will be a 360 view of your skin, in partnership with Environ. We’ve worked with them for 17 years now and their skin specialist is coming in to offer 360 skin analysis appointments.
“We have a skin analysis machine, so we’ll involve that alongside a makeup and skin consultation.
“We’re having goodie bags, which will have products from all of our brands within the salon and I’ll look to collaborate with other local businesses around the town, because I think it’s really important that everybody supports one another, joins together, and creates a community within Ashton.
“There’s a lot going on within Ashton town centre at the moment, trying to build it back up and I hope that we can play a part in that.
“We’ve been here 70 years. We’re probably one of the businesses that have been here the longest. So, I think that it’s important to collaborate with other businesses to help promote them.
“We’re running a charity raffle in aid of Willow Wood Hospice and maybe looking to do another event in the new year.
“We’ve got a lot of clients and obviously, we can’t fit everybody in an entire week. So, we want to give people the opportunity to come and celebrate with us.”