A hairdressers that has served generations of Bexley customers has celebrated its 40th anniversary alongside the community.
Barbara Jane hairdressers, which is located on Bexley High Street, first opened to the public 40 years ago on June 28, 1982.
The team and wider community at the Barbara Jane hairdressers celebrated on Friday afternoon with cakes, nibbles, and a few glasses of prosecco.
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Owner Barbara Dyche, 69, told the News Shopper: “You know I still love it and I have been involved in hairdressing since I was 14-years-old.
“I first trained in a shop in Bexleyheath and I think that the lady who trained me would be so proud of me now.
“I’ve always lived in Bexley and I’ve seen lots of changes in the village, but it is a lovely area.
“Everywhere I go people are like ‘Oh look it’s Barbara Jane’ and so you just get known everywhere…but my name isn’t Barbara Jane.”
The hairdressers is named Barbara Jane as a tribute to Barbara’s aunt, who helped her buy the site.
When Barbara first started the hairdressers, she was recently divorced with two young children and so was grateful for her aunt’s support.
Barbara said that she has had wonderful staff at the hairdressers throughout the years and as long as she is able to, she’s going to continue cutting hair.
Caroline Edgley first started working at the hairdressers 17 years ago and has known Barbara since she was around 11-years old.
She used to get hair done here and once her youngest daughter started school, Barbara offered Caroline a job at the hairdressers for a few days a week.
Caroline explained: “We have still got clients that are coming here since she first opened.
“We have some of the older generation here and when they were first coming they were in their 30s and some of them are like 70 odd now.
“Barbara knows families too, so we have people who started coming in from 30, 40, years ago - but then their children come and then their grandchildren, so we have generations coming in.”
When asked about what her favourite thing about being a hairdresser was, Caroline replied: “Chatting, I love chatting.
“We have such a laugh, it is not like coming to work, it is a real social thing.
“Even with the customers, some will have got family, but some won’t, and they really enjoy coming in.
“This is like one big family really.”
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