TGT Meets... Michael Pollock, The Strand of London

Recently, we caught up with Michael Pollock, who is Manager of The Strand of London, a modern unisex salon in Poole, to talk all about the salon and how he got to where he is now!

Tell us a little bit about yourself…

I’m married to Sophie, have a 4 year old Archie and another child on the way this year!

I have been hairdressing for 16 years. Got into the industry by chance really, as I never wanted to be a hairdresser. Did an apprenticeship with the top salon in Coventry and quickly realised I had a talent for it. AT 18 moved to the middle east and worked there for 12 years, before returning in 2019 to manage the salon I initially did my apprenticeship before relocating in 2020 to fulfil my dream of living on the Dorset coast.

Describe The Strand of London in 3 words

Fun, unpretentious and exciting

What inspired you to fulfil a career in this industry?

I never really wanted to be a hairdresser, but once I realised I had a natural talent I threw myself into and now love transforming people locks. I have since trained as an assessor and love to train the younger members of the team and pass on the knowledge I have gained over the years.

What makes The Strand of London different to any other hair salon in Poole?

First and foremost we are a team, there are no egos! We are all here to help one another develop and have the same desire to bring our vision to life.

We like to customise every colour, we don’t just pick up 1tint and put that on the clients head but try to give everyone a unique formula so they have a bespoke colour. We also continually train and create our own in-house bespoke techniques such as “Strandlights” which has been created by Manager Michael. We also offer bespoke packages which no other salon does, giving the client great value for money when one is booked.

We also put a massive emphasis on customer service, and want every client regardless of age, race or gender to feel comfortable and be themselves. We are professional but unpretentious, and want everyone to have an enjoyable time in the salon. We recently were awarded by “salonspy” for our customer service as we came within the top15% in the country for continuous 5 star reviews.

Being on a busy high street we also pay for clients parking, which makes it that little bit easier for them when visiting as parking on the road is very limited. We were the first salon to offer this perk as well as a very generous 25% discount off your first appointment with us.

What three things do you love most about owning a business in Poole?

Jo enjoys offering a service to the community, to make them feel good about themselves.

Being able to offer employment to other people and watch them grow within their careers.

Having the freedom to style my own work environment and be able to control my own schedule

Tell us a little bit about your pamper parties and packages…

Jo has a 13 year old Daughter and when talking about children's parties we quickly realised there was nothing for their age group, so our Glam parties were born.

When we were younger there were teenage club nights etc which don’t exist anymore so we figure why not bring a bit of that, along side our hairdressing skills and @becky_at_identitybeuaty amazing makeup.

We do groups of 10, and on arrival they are greeted with mocktails created by the team, given the time to mingle before the karaoke is turned up for lots of singing. The girls are then invited to take it in turns to get their hair and makeup done, and once that is done they are encouraged to take to the “Strand Runway” to strut their stuff and get some amazing photos for their “Tik Toks and Instagrams”

What do you hope to achieve in 2022? (Personal goals or commercial goals)

Our goals for 2022 are to continue to build on the success of 2021, the highlight being crowned “Dorset best salon 2021” at the salon awards. We have entered numerous awards this year and are awaiting the outcome of those(fingers crossed), as well as entering more hopefully.

This year we welcomed so many new faces and we hope that continues into 2022 as well as all our lovely clients that continue to be loyal . We would also like to expand the team, and hope to add some amazing new talent this year to the team. Get in touch Manager.thestrandoflondon@gmail.com

How important is it to you to use vegan products?

It's 2022 and the need for animal testing should be no more, with the advances in technology it just shouldn’t be happening. That’s why we love @mukhaircareuk as they are Peta approved, use 80% naturally derived ingredients and contain the lowest levels of ammonia found in any hair colour line.

Find out more about The Strand of London here!