A HAIR salon owner has celebrated his 50th anniversary in the hairdressing industry.

Alex Toubas, the owner of multi-gender hairdressing service ‘Toubas’, marked the anniversary at his salon located on The Smithy, Fairbank, Kirkby Lonsdale, on September 20.

(Image: Toubas hair salon in Kirkby Lonsdale. Credit: Alec Whitaker)
Mr Toubas started training to become a hairdresser after leaving secondary school and has cut thousands of people’s hair ever since.

“In September 1974, I bumped into a classmate called Pete Smylie whilst I was riding my bike along the Morecambe promenade,” he said.

“As we had both just left school, I asked him what his plans were. He surprised me by saying he had just got a job at Mike Byron's hair salon known as ‘Byron the Stylist’.

“I popped in soon after to see if I could get a job there and Mr Byron said I could start the following Tuesday. I duly arrived at 9.40 to be greeted with the words, good start Alex!

“I was embarrassed when I realised my start time was 9am.

“Little did I realise this was the start of a 50-year-plus eventful career.”

Mr Toubas was trained as a junior by Mike and senior stylist Des Slater whilst working alongside fellow trainee Bob Wallbank, who had started working at the salon a few months prior.

He said he was particularly inspired by these people to carry on his career in the hairdressing industry.

Mr Toubas, now aged 66, went on to work in Byron salons in Lancaster and Kendal before eventually opening his own salon in North Road, Lancaster, on March 20 1988, which he ran until 2006.

“An opportunity then came up for me to relocate to the picturesque town of Kirkby Lonsdale where I opened a salon on Jingling Lane,” Mr Toubas said. After eight enjoyable years, I then moved to Main Street.

“Four and a half years later, I was then very fortunate when the Old Smithy became available in May 2018. It was a fantastic opportunity to work in a 500-year-old building which I couldn’t turn down

“I am in a very privileged position to have met people from all walks of life in my profession. You learn so much from them.”

Mr Toubas says he has no plans to retire just yet.