Beauty salon lands Creative Quarter cash
The owner of a Nottingham specialist waxing and beauty salon nkd, Rebecca Dowdeswell, has said her business is thriving after a recent revamp and £25,000 loan funding from the city’s Creative Quarter Loan Fund.
The 39-year-old ex-journalist says that she has been able to take on the ten-year lease of new premises and take her business to the next level.
She said: “The Creative Quarter Loan Fund is a great thing for Nottingham and it is thanks to organisations like First Enterprise that people like myself are able to follow their dream and are made aware of their options.
“I knew my business had potential but I needed that extra cash flow to take it to the next level. First Enterprise was great in not only arranging the loan funding but also in offering advice and support where needed.”
NKD opened its doors in Bridlesmith Walk in 2009. Five and a half years later, the the specialist waxing and beauty salon moved premises to Pelham Street in April 2015 and is now flourishing.
Dowdeswell added: “The salon move was the best thing we could have done. We moved to the new premises last April, at which time we completed a massive fit-out of all three floors. The upper floors of the property were near derelict and I couldn’t have renovated them without the loan. We now have more space and we’ve enjoyed a huge increase in walk-in trade due to better footfall on Pelham Street compared to our old location.
“Although the business has grown in each of the six year’s we’ve so far been trading, we were especially pleased with 2015’s 25 per cent year-on-year sales growth. We’ve just recruited 3 more new staff members which will allow us to make better use of our new space.”
The Creative Quarter Loan Fund is a partnership between Nottingham City Council and First Enterprise Business Agency and is open to both new and existing businesses. The fund has been running since April 2013 and has, so far, helped 35 businesses lending a total of £750,000.
