Stowmarket hairdresser celebrates 50th anniversary cutting hair and 21st anniversary of salon

A Stowmarket hairdresser is celebrating two anniversaries and is also delighted at the success of her daughter’s move to Australia to expand the family name.

The owner Sharon Chapman, 66, from Bury St Edmunds, has been cutting hair for half a century this month.

It’s also the 21st anniversary of her salon, Chapman’s, in Stowmarket.

She said: “It’s honestly gone so quickly but it is just so awesome. It’s in my bones and in my blood.

“To enjoy something that is like a hobby and to actually get paid for it is wonderful.

“For me it’s not a chore in the slightest, I have really loved the ride so far. It’s been just fabulous.”

Her daughter, Jodie, 41, moved to Australia seven years ago with her two-and-a-half year old child and has since set up another Chapman’s in Perth.

The mother-of-two, is delighted by how well her daughter has fared the other side of the world.

“I was originally devastated of course because we had done everything together. But now, she’s doing so well and I’m just so proud of her, it’s amazing what she’s done,” she said.

“People love her over there, so we’ve managed to expand the family name.”

Ms Chapman was the winner of Britain’s Best Salon Owner of the Year in 2012 and even received a letter from Jo Churchill a few years ago praising the salon for its achievements in Stowmarket.

The 66-year-old began studying hairdressing at West Suffolk College in 1972 but was cutting hair even before that when she was 13.

“My mother always went to the salon, almost every week, and I would tag along and knew I was always going to be a hairdresser.”

She added: “I used to cut everyone’s hair at school with sewing scissors, that’s how confident I was at that age. When I see old school friends we still laugh about it.”

After being in the industry for half a century, she has seen how it has evolved.

She said: “I think the biggest difference between now and then is the attitude of the clients.

“It used to be so rigid. It’s so relaxed now though. I don’t think kids today could have coped with the situation for me when I was younger, it’s got a lot better.”

Ms Chapman has worked alongside stylists Sophie Clark and Anya Parker for over ten years and is grateful for their constant help and support.