A BARBER shop and salon in Old Colwyn which celebrates a decade of business this year has been nominated for a prize at the 2024 Welsh Hair and Beauty Awards.

Zoe’s Barber Shop, on Abergele Road, is a finalist in the “barbers of the year” category, and will find out if it’s won at a black-tie ceremony at  Pafiliwn Llangollen Pavilion on Saturday, May 18.

The unisex barber shop, which also offers beauty treatments suitable for both genders, is run by sisters Zoe and Ellie Mills, aged 28 and 19 respectively.

This nomination is particularly poignant for them, Zoe said, after the loss of their father shortly before Christmas.

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Zoe said: “It’s the first time I’ve been nominated for anything, so it was quite a shock when it was sent to me.

“Somebody sent me a screenshot of the nominees list – otherwise, I don’t think I would have even checked!

“I’m going to go to the awards ceremony with Ellie; we just lost our father four weeks ago, so it’s nice to feel like we’re making him proud, as well.

“It makes me feel like carrying on, because at the time, I felt I was going to give it all up. It’s just me and my sister, because I like to keep it quite in the family.

“We did start as a male barber shop for the first eight years – it’s only in the last two that men would come in ask if we do cuts for their wives or girlfriends.

“I’m qualified in colouring, as well, and we do things like eyelashes, nails, and massages in a private back room, so we do pretty much everything now. We’re very busy!”

Their nomination follows more than 80,000 public votes resulted in the shop being shortlisted.

The winners of each category will also be decided by public vote – you can pick your favourites by visiting the awards’ website.

A spokesperson for the Welsh Hair and Beauty Awards 2024 said:  “We had an outstanding response from the public who went behind our nomination process and put forward tried and tested beauty professionals that deserve recognition.

“The number of 80,000 votes received is just incredible and record breaking for us and, therefore, we would like to thank everyone who contributed to this overwhelming response.

“The awards remark the strength, skill and innovation of those who have shown excellent commitment to customer satisfaction and have changed the industry’s landscape by introducing innovative treatments and services, building extremely close and trusted relationships with their clients.

“We would like to congratulate everyone for being shortlisted and we can’t wait to welcome all our guests and deliver an enjoyable event. We wish all finalists the best of luck.”