Edinburgh hairdressers: Daisy Beau owner Annie Storrie opens new salon in Leith

Hairdresser happy with new salon in Edinburgh

A hairdresser who opened a new salon in Leith has said she is delighted with its success after just three weeks.

Annie Storrie, 29, started her hair and beauty business Daisy Beau five years ago with a salon in Denny, near Falkirk, and has now expanded to the Capital after spotting a gap in the market for her services, with a new second salon now open at Pirrie Street.

She said: “I was coming through to Leith for my own beauty treatments and I thought this would be a great place to open a new salon. It’s already busy here and I think there’s a gap in the market for the services I provide. Hair extensions are very popular at Daisy Beau, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of salons doing hair extensions in Edinburgh as far as I can see.

Daisy Beau owner Annie Storrie, pictured at her new Leith salon at Pirrie Street in Edinburgh with Angel, one of Annie's four chihuahuas.

"I’m really good at utilising social media for my business and I’ve been successful in using that to get more customers. At the moment I’m trying to set-up hair and beauty app Treatwell for the business. It finds salons nearby for people looking for certain specific things to do with hair and beauty. I’m finding it so much easier in Edinburgh. Trying to make it in a small town like Denny is difficult. And then Covid came, so I felt like I have been through the thick of it.

"So with this new salon in Edinburgh I can charge more than I would in Denny and there are a lot more potential customers, with more chance of passing trade, so it’s been easier. Denny was a great place to start out but it’s nice to be doing this in Edinburgh now as well.”

Annie added that she also has a spare room downstairs at the Leith salon which she rents out to beauticians and nail specialists to provide extra services under the one roof. And she is managing to work between her two salons despite them being situated 32 miles apart.

"I’m currently working between both salons. I have a girl working at the Leith salon so there is always someone there, ordering stock and dealing with customers, but I’m probably here half of the time and in Denny the other half. I have also got a new member of staff starting soon at the Leith salon to join us,” she said.

The Daisy Beau Edinburgh salon at Pirrie Street, opened by Annie Storrie three weeks ago.

"It’s getting busier in Edinburgh, it’s only been three weeks, but so far, so good. I feel like I might outgrow this wee salon in Leith quite quickly. That’s what happened in Denny, we started with a small salon before moving to larger premises after three years. I’ll either outgrow the Leith salon and move, or keep it and open another salon in Edinburgh.”

Annie began her hairdressing career at the Rainbow Room in Glasgow at the age of just 15, working there until she was 19. She then moved to Denny as a self-employed hairdresser before opening her first Daisy Beau salon aged 23.

"It’s not been easy, especially because I had young kids when I started out, but starting my own business on my own terms gave me the freedom to see my children,” she added.

"At the start it was quite hard, not seeing my family as much as I would like at first and keeping books. But I got there. A few people in my family have a business so I got good advice from them which helped a lot. You learn as you go, running your own business. It suits me personally, as I like to keep busy.”