Business, Wimborne | Posted on March 20th, 2025 | return to news
Wimborne hair salon celebrates 10 years of cutting hair
Swaffields Wimborne recently celebrated a decade of hair styling.
Wimborne-based hair salon Swaffield’s in Mill Lane, which styles men and women’s hair, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. It is part of a chain of three salons – the others are in Lilliput and Upton – owned by Paul Swaffield.
Paul, now aged 41, did work experience in a hair salon in Wimborne when he was a schoolboy. That led to a Saturday job washing hair and cleaning the salon. At 16, he took an apprenticeship in hairdressing and barbering at Bournemouth College. At 18, he knew he wanted to run his own business and by the age of 23 he was doing just that.
Swaffields is a family-run business. Paul runs the salons with his wife and business partner Nikki, while his 75-year-old mum Carol is front of house in Wimborne and his dad, Bob, is a handyman and plumber on call across the three locations. Paul’s teenage daughter Poppy is also a hairdresser in the Upton and Lilliput salons.
Paul said: “My mum and dad worked from the age of 13 and it inspired me to do the same. My dad started to train as a hairdresser but gave it up as there weren’t many men in this profession at that time and he got ridiculed. He regrets it to this day.
“I’m so thankful I’ve had the opportunity to follow my chosen career and bring my family along with me as part of my team.”
Paul recalls how he faced his share of teasing over his career path. “I had to do a talk about my schoolwork experience in front of my class and got laughed at for choosing hairdressing. I still remember that day and thinking to myself that I would prove those hecklers wrong.”
Today, Paul is still “scissors-on” in all his businesses, splitting time between them all to cut hair for loyal clients. He added: “I love what I do. I still cut my very first customer’s hair and my former headmaster’s. I was very quiet at school, but hairdressing pushed me out of my comfort zone.”
Paul also works with boys interested in becoming barbers. He guest lectures at hair training academies and currently has a 16-year-old lad working for him. “I’d love to expand my business and start a training school for young hairdressers,” he revealed. “Barbering and hairdressing is such a great career that can work around having a family, but often boys still don’t see it as an option for them.”
Reflecting on 10 years of the Wimborne branch, Paul said: “Opening a business in Wimborne was one of the best moves I’ve made. We love being part of the Wimborne community and working in a town that is thriving. Here’s to the next 10 years.”
Swaffields Wimborne and Swaffields Lilliput have been nominated for the prestigious Hairdresser of the Year Salon 2025 run by Bournemouth Daily Echo, and the Wimborne salon has been shortlisted for the Wimborne Local Business Awards which take place today on Thursday 20 March.
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