Hair and beauty salon celebrates 15 years in Market Harborough

The owner of a hair salon and beauty clinic in the centre of Market Harborough has celebrated 15 years of success on the High Street.

Sandra Vaizgelaite started Aura when her youngest daughter was just four months old.

She had trained as a hairdresser at Northampton College and worked as a stylist at the premises before taking over the building.

Now, 15 years on, she has two teenage daughters and a thriving business, still based in the same building it started in on The Square.

The 41-year-old said: “After 15 years I call it a success, but it’s not my success; it’s our success.

“It doesn’t seem that long, maybe because we all still work as hard as we did 15 years ago.

“It just feels like home. It just feels right.”

Aura opened as a combined hair and beauty business, and became a one-stop shop for all things wellness, utilising new treatments and technology.

Sandra employs 19 people, many having been with the company for years.

She said: “My team is like my second family.

“We’ve had babies. We’ve had marriages. We’ve had separations. We did it all together.”

The owner believes in continually adapting, retraining and listening to customers.

Sandra explained: “It’s about not falling asleep on the success and not becoming complacent.

“You have to continuously try to evolve.

“We’ve got to have technology because otherwise we’ll fall behind.”

Keeping treatments affordable has always been a priority for Sandra, who offers various discounts each week.

She said: “I’ve always kept an eagle eye on affordability.”

The owner is keen to encourage people to support independent businesses in Market Harborough, having seen the effect the pandemic had on the High Street.

She explained: “Please don’t just spend money, but get out and support local businesses.

“Just come and talk to us. If we don’t do something that other areas do, come and talk to us.”

Sandra shared a message to her loyal customers for their support over the years.

She added: “Thank you for trusting us, for bringing your children, yourselves, husbands, and mums.”