The Hair Society Goes One on One with
Salon Owner, and one of the UK’s preeminent colorists, Marta Power Davies
If everyone who owned and operated a salon had the level of passion as does Marta Power Davies, the hair industry would be on fire. Her general outlook, business savvy, and raw talent, combined are a force to be reckoned with for sure. First and foremost, let us get to know a bit about Marta Power Davies.
On the surface, she appears like most others…She is an avid nature lover, loves to watch the sunrise and set, even more so if it is at the shore of a serene beach. She cares about the environment and makes daily efforts to recycle. She knows this is the only planet we have, and she wants to do her part to ensure it is taken care of for generations to come.
Originally from Poland, Marta and much of her family moved to the Republic of Ireland when Marta was 21 years of age. Not long after, at the young age of 26, Marta moved again to the UK. Leaving much of her family behind in both Ireland and Poland, Marta set off to pursue her dreams. Marta has many challenges in her day-to-day life.
Diagnosed with having Hashimoto Disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes her own body’s immune system to attack itself, more specifically her thyroid. Which in and of itself can wreak havoc on your ability to function. If that wasn’t enough, she also has Polycystic ovary syndrome, (P.O.S.) which unfortunately led to the loss of more than one pregnancy. It would not be uncommon for someone in Marta’s position to want to throw in the towel, but not Marta, rather she uses these and any other challenges that life throws at her to grow from them, learn ways to overcome and persevere.
Marta’s real passion for hair is color. According to Marta, if all she did, all day long was color hair, she would be in her happy place. This shows in the work Marta has done. Color correction has to be her favorite. The greater the correction, the more challenged she becomes, and she does not disappoint.
For someone who is relatively new to the business, about 7 plus years, she has learned fast. She spent many hours from home practicing and honing in on her skills. She considers herself a very technical person and craves continuing education.
Marta is extremely passionate about the hair business, her salon, those that she works with and those that she receives and seeks out guidance from. Her passion came through in every answer to every question I asked of her.
HS: Can you please take a few moments to share with me a bit about yourself, how you got started in the hair biz, accommodations, certifications, awards, and recognitions, etc.?
M.P.: It all started with the birth of my son Lee. When I held him for the first time in my arms, I knew I wanted him to be proud of me. I knew I needed to be more successful than I was before. I’m very ambitious, But up to now I couldn’t find myself, I couldn’t fit in, I hated my job. I was an employee in one of the leading supermarkets. Every day I was either working at tills or stocking shelves. I felt like I couldn’t progress anywhere with this job. I was hungry for a nice career and I wanted Lee to look up to me too.
I don’t know how, when or where but hairdressing popped into my head. I was never a girly girl, when I was a teenager I was a proper tomboy and the baggier the clothes the better I felt. With Lee going on to 6 months old I had decided to go back to college. A very girly thing for a tomboy! My husband was, at the time, working with The British Army and we were based in Inverness. I knew we would be moving and I knew I needed a skill to take with me wherever we would go. I thought I could also save on childcare costs because I could work from home. I signed up for a taster course in hairdressing. I was a bit unsure of it at first and most of the girls were younger than me. I started going to college and even though everything seemed very strange, I was really enjoying learning a new skill. I went on to the next level and within 6 months gained my level 2 qualification. Why so fast? I wanted it but also my husband’s work required us to move to Tern Hill in Shropshire.
I was extremely proud of myself that I had gained this qualification. I wanted to find a salon I could work in and gain more knowledge. I printed my CV and went on a job hunt. I went to most of the local hair salons in Market Drayton and all I was met with was rejection. I was disappointed because I wanted it so badly! I still needed to work, but I couldn’t get any job I went for. I decided to do some work as a mobile hairdresser and I was working from my home, from a little box room. I was surprised to see how many people wanted to Book in with me. It started slowly but I was growing.
One day, on a Saturday late evening, a Lady knocked at my door. She asked me to do her hair. I said I can’t because it’s 9 pm and it’s a Saturday. I understood then, that it’s too much. It felt like my career and home life no longer worked together.
I had decided to rent a room in town and provide my services from there. After 3 weeks, I had realized that it doesn’t work for me and having a room isn’t good enough for me either. I found a little shop nearly in the heart of Market Drayton and I opened a salon with a budget of only £1000. It was very basic but I thought, hey Rome wasn’t built in a day! I kept reinvesting everything I had to do it up better and better.
In April of 2018, an opportunity came to take over an even bigger shop. I went for it, without even thinking too much and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I had made to date! I upgraded from 3 stations to 5 stations. I brought on two more employees and a third was coming soon. It’s a beautiful little place with so much creativity! To me it’s not only a hair salon – it’s my