Tributes made to ‘legendary’ Edinburgh hairdresser Douglas Falconer who died aged 72

Born in 1952, Douglas Falconer grew up in Granton and went on to establish Sections hairdressers on Ferry Road where he worked for over 40 years. Described as a gentleman, a character and a Leith legend, he was well known face in the community who ‘was there for everybody’.

Douglas died on December 18 and leaves behind his wife Anne, children Nicola and Douglas, and his four grandchildren Olivia, Murray, Ava and Easton. A funeral service for Douglas will be held on January 10, passing by the former site of Sections at 33 Ferry Road where Douglas will make ‘one last stop at his beloved shop’.

Douglas Falconer established Sections hairdressers on Ferry Road in 1976 | Submitted

Sharing the tragic news on social media, daughter Nicola said: “He was the best husband, dad, father-in-law, papa and friend to so many and loved so much by us all. He is going to be missed so so much.”

Speaking to the Evening News, his wife Anne said, despite her husband going on to open three salons across the capital, he became a hairdresser by accident.

After finishing school in the late 1960s, Douglas told his mum he was heading out to look for job - expecting her son to return with a job as a joiner or plumber, his mother was very surprised when he told he would be working as a hairdresser.

Douglas and Anne, who met in a Lothian Road bar in the mid 1970s, married in June 1974, with Douglas opening up his first hairdressers on Ferry Road in October 1976 when Anne was five months pregnant. Known as an allrounder, Douglas gutted out and decorated the former plumber’s merchant by himself and quickly established himself in the community.

Douglas was a well known face in Leith | Submitted

Anne said: “He wasn’t just a hairdresser, he was a builder, a joiner – he could do everything. He was a people person and would always speak to passersby out on the street. He wasn’t shy, he'd say to people ‘come on you’re needing your hair done, and his business just went on from there.”

Daughter Nicola, who worked with her dad for over 20 years said: “He let me do my first haircut on my little cousin when I was 13 years old. My dad would take me to hairdressing shows and I was always in the shop with my dad. We were like two peas in a pod and we always had a good laugh.

“He had clients that lived in England that would travel up to get their hair done. There was a lady from Canada who would fly over every year to see her family and she would always come to my get her perm done by my dad. He also had a client who came from the Isle of Mull, so it was very special because he had clients that were so dedicated to coming to see him - they just loved my dad.”

Left: Douglas cutting a client's hair at Sections hairdressers with paint still on his trousers after renovating his salon earlier that day. Top right: Sections when it first opened on Ferry Road. Bottom Right: A local Granton football team that Douglas sponsored | Submitted

Nicola, who started working full time with her dad at 17, was was diagnosed with cancer at the beginning last year – news that affected her dad ‘very hard’.

Nicola said: “Even though I was 45, I was still his wee girl. It’s sad that my dad won't be with me to see me finish my chemotherapy because he would chum me to get my radio therapy and he picked me up from my chemotherapy and so on.”

Over the years Douglas gained a reputation as a ‘kind, caring and lovely man who would help anybody’ – helping out other hairdressers by offering them space in his salon, sponsoring the local Granton football team and even known to help his clients with odds jobs around the house.

Dpuglas with wife Anne | submitted

Nicola said: “That's what my dad was like and how everybody knew him. If clients needed something done in their house, my dad would be like ‘I'll help you. I'll get that done for you’.

“My dad would be there for them, he was there for everybody. We’ve received lots of messages from people saying how kind he was and I just hope he knew how much everybody loved him and appreciated him.”

Anne, who celebrated her golden wedding anniversary with Douglas last year, said: “He was also a teacher. From teaching his granddaughter how to cut hair to showing kids across the road how to mix cement and lay slabs.

“He used to take my son to his shop when he was renovating it and show him various jobs – my son is now a good joiner. I know we’ve brought our children up to respect people and help people and that’s what he did.”