Team celebrates 10 years

By Victoria McGuin

Stepping into Nellie’s Creative Hair Design in Maleny is like stepping through the door of a good friend’s home. There is an immediate sense of welcome, camaraderie, and fun.

With five-star ratings and comments such as “amazing service, my hair colour turned out awesome”, “so accommodating” and “so very skilled with hair”, it’s no wonder the salon, now celebrating 10 years in Maleny, is so popular!

Nellie greeted me with a big smile and sparkly green skate shoes, and she made me feel immediately at ease as we chatted away – a skill only the best hairdressers have.

“I grew up in Conondale,” said Nellie, “and I knew since I was five years old that I wanted to be a hairdresser.”

Nellie’s family grew up in this area. “My grandparents were the owners of Watson’s Garage and the guest house, and my mum and dad ran the school bus services in Conondale, so I feel very connected to the community.

“I never met my grandparents, but I feel they have always guided me. This gave me confidence to start my own business, along with seeing my parents successfully run their businesses.”

The original salon was based opposite the primary school for three years, before moving to its current location on Coral Street seven years ago.

“My husband Col built the salon with a friend of his, and our boys, Levi and Diezel, helped too, and have been so supportive and inspiring,” said Nellie.

“The salon grew so fast, and I was fortunate to employ one of my long-time friends, Annette English, we had both worked together 20 years before as apprentices. From there we gradually found our wonderful team of six, Annette, Jenny, Taleah, Brooke, Tiana and me – we are all long-time locals.

“I love that it doesn’t feel like going to work. I look forward to seeing the girls I work with, and chatting to our clients who are friends.”

Nellie admitted she felt blessed with such great staff and the community always supporting them, especially during Covid. “I love the community and Col and I couldn’t think of a better place to bring up our kids than here.”

Nellie took a moment to offer some hair advice. “Having regular trims and using quality products is a must,” she said. “We use Juuce, Pure, Pump, K18 and Natural Look products and they make a difference.”

And there was time for a funny story… “When I was an apprentice, I was doing my first perm on a lady, telling her it was a body wave – and she ended up with an afro! I told her it would drop after a few washes, but I’m sure she still talks about that experience. It took me a long time to do a perm after that one, but now I love them,” Nellie said with a laugh.

The team were all arriving as we finished up, sharing funny stories of their weekend and setting up for the day – everyone looked happy to be there, a testament to Nellie’s positive leadership.

“I love it here, but I work a lot, so time with my family is precious,” she said. “I’m just very lucky they have always understood my passion for this job and supported me in achieving my dream – and now we are celebrating 10 years and I feel so proud of everyone who has helped us, and helped me, to reach this special milestone.”

Nellie’s Creative Hair Design, 21 Coral Street, Maleny / Phone: 0438 785443 / Email: nelliescreativehairdesign@gmail.com / Website: nelliescreativehairdesign.com.au