About Sally
This year, I celebrate twenty-three years in business.
It all began back in 1984 when I opened my first salon on Friargate in Derby. This was six years after completing my training. I then went on to open a small salon at Derby University, which was approximately nine years after opening Friargate.
In 1998 I opened the largest of my salons, which also became our Head Office. This is situated on Irongate in the City Centre of Derby. This is also where I have my training school. My team of apprentices get five-star training to the highest standard. They must reach this standard in order to become a stylist within the Group. Having my own training school is a great way of ensuring that my future stylists are trained to the standard that I expect for my salons.
Last year I was delighted to open the latest addition to the Sally Montague Hair Group at the Old Hall on St. Peter's Churchyard, Derby. The building is steeped in history having once been a boys' school amongst other things! It was more recently renovated in 1975 as a photographers before it later became the 'Heritage Centre'. The architect commissioned by the Bishop and Arch Deacon of Derby to redesign the building was my father, Derek Joseph Montague, a well-known local architect who actually won a civic society award for his work. I knew as soon as I walked into the place that it was my dad's work, it was his own distinct and unmistakeable style, and it just felt so right. I knew I had to have it, I just had to take a chance and put in an offer. Within a week the offer had been accepted and the rest as they say, is history! Working with Avalon Therapy we are able to provide a full hair and spa experience to all our clients in this quickly-growing area of the city centre.
From a very early age, I was always interested in fashion and in particular colour, which then led me to thinking about a career in hairdressing.
I started my training with a well-known hairdressing chain in the Midlands, when I was just fifteen. I worked as hard as I possibly could to become a stylist within eighteen months.
I then worked my way up the ladder going from a Junior Stylist to a member of the Artistic Team. With the Artistic Team I travelled the country and gained a lot of extremely valuable experience. It was ten years later that ambition got the better of me and I decided that I wanted my own salon. It was hard to leave the security, but I really knew that I had to move forward and I had very strong ideas of how I wanted my salon to be and to be run the way I felt best.
Last year, I had to make the difficult decision of closing my first salon - situated on Friargate in Derby. This allows my brother, Matthew Montague, to further expand his architectural business. This has allowed me to concentrate on further developing the three other salons in the Group, and has been a very positive move. See the press release here.
So twenty-one years later, I own three salons and have a total workforce of 34. My staff are a great team - many of whom have been with me for many years. Some who actually started out as apprentices and have worked their way through the company to be Young Stylists, Senior Stylists, Artistic Leaders and even Management. I certainly would not be where I am today without the dedication and loyalty of my team.
My most major achievement was winning Business Person of the Year in 1996. I beat off stiff competition in all sorts of other business sectors and it was great to have my team and family there to support me and see me receive this award.
My most recent role has seen me as a Salon Facilitator for a Foundation Degree course in hairdressing. Two of my staff are actually doing the degree, alongside their full-time jobs, which is such a fantastic opportunity and will ultimately be a real achievement in their career as a hairdresser.
I still work on the salon floor four days a week and for the rest of the time, I run the Group - overseeing the staff, training, stock and mountains of paperwork!
My philosophy on hair is varied in length, but always carefully thought out. I believe that it is the details that define the style. I try and personalise every client's cut, so that they leave the salon feeling uniquely fantastic. It is important to me that all my clients feel that they have experienced a truly relaxing visit and will therefore return again and again.
Sally Montague
Proprietor and Creative Director
"I believe that it is the details that define the style. I try and personalise each and every client's cut, so that they leave the salon feeling uniquely fantastic."