INIZIO hair salon on The Wharf, Newark celebrates 15 years of creativity and hard work

A popular hair salon that began as a one-person operation is marking its 15th anniversary with a promise of continuous innovation and new offers.

The award-winning hair salon and brand — INIZIO — located on The Wharf, Newark, was founded in February 2010 by Les Jones, who had a determination and passion decided to bring a London experience to Newark.

With more than 25 years of experience in hair, Les previously ran a salon near Doncaster. Despite not having any connection to Newark, he chose the town for his new venture due to its commutable access.

“I visited Newark for the first time years and years before and I always thought it was a beautiful market town, so when I was looking, I felt like something was missing in Newark.

“I love the independent structure here, there seems to be a real passion for community here, which inspired me.”

The salon, initially located in Stodman Street before it moved to its current location two and a half years ago, started with just a receptionist. It has now grown into a full-service salon operation alongside Not My Monkey, a coffee shop and bar in a multi-use space.

The name INIZIO means ‘New Beginning’ in Italian and was chosen during a difficult period for Les and his family as it was just after his mother died, making it more meaningful to the owner.

“She lived in Italy, and the name felt right for me and my sisters – it marked a new start, both personally and professionally.”

With his parents both being business owners, Les always knew he wanted to own his own business and work with people.

He added: “Good customer service was always at the forefront of my mum and dad’s business and I was also around a lot of strong women, and with three sisters I am the only boy.

“My mum was really the vocal point of my family and was quite a big character, so I think growing up around so many influential women, I felt passionate about giving women support and power and the power of hair is so important.”

“I think the training and quality of services that we offer is unique to the town, we have brands that you’d normally find in London and salons like that.

The salon, which is constantly in touch with new trends, training and styles wants to push its clients into a new place, offering them not only a new sense of confidence but destination.

Les wants to give people the push for them to take the bold moves they wish and dream of, be it a new cut or colour and the coffee shop and bar next door can easily help with some food, hot drinks or some prosecco.

“We’ve always been committed to offering something that isn’t just about hair,” said Les. “It’s about education, confidence, and creativity.

“We aim to stay ahead of the curve and offer something people can’t find elsewhere.”

To celebrate its anniversary, the salon is offering 50% off appointments for new customers, depending on the service.

People interested in booking an appointment at the salon can book it through the website https://www.iniziohair.co.uk/ or by ringing 01636 678008.

The salon has previously been recognised for its work in awards such as Small Business of the Year, Business Person, Customer Service Awards and Newark Business Awards, which is something that Les said to be very proud of as it wouldn’t be possible without his team and strong customer base.

He added: “We’ve always tried to put something back into the town.

“Whether it’s through charity events, partnerships or community work, we see ourselves as more than just a business and we want people to know that we’re not only about taking but that we also give a lot to the community.”

Looking ahead, Les said that people can expect to see INIZIO bringing a lot of news into the town centre, be it events, famous names or brands, which are yet to be announced.