A hairdresser who inherited her salon from her late friend is shutting up shop after 34 years due to rent increases and the cost of living crisis.

Anne-Marie Atterbury-Reeves has been the owner of HairLite in London Road, Stone, in Dartford, for the past 18 years after being left the salon in her friend’s will.

But her rent increased by £1,250 last December and is due to do the same at the end of this year.

This coupled with utility bills spiralling into the thousands and the cost of stock doubling has meant Anne-Marie is being forced to shut the village premises.

Anne-Marie and her friend Susan Stevens had learned their trade together and cut hair side by side at the salon Susan opened and ran before she was taken ill with cancer.

In the last two years of her friend’s life Anne-Marie managed the shop for her but was surprised to hear it was going to be hers after Susan passed away at the age of just 41.

“It was a hard time. There was a lot of grief involved. I was also really surprised,” said Anne-Marie.

“I had never wanted to run my own business. I used to enjoy cutting hair and going home. Now I was going to have my name over the door, which came with a lot of responsibility. I hadn’t ever planned for that.”

But Anne-Marie rose to the challenge, and surrounded by colleagues who have stuck with her for nearly 20 years, the mum-of-two was able to continue making the hairdressers the centre of the community that it had been since it first opened 34 years ago.

“People say it is the heart of the community,” she said. “When Susan was alive we would join with the Lads of the Village pub and take part in sponsored bike rides to raise money for Cancer Research. We even joined them for a charity sumo wrestling event.”

The 58-year-old is sad to be closing the doors and leaving all the memories behind.

“We have our weekly regulars who come and see each other at the same time every week for a chat,” she said. “We had 11 of them on a Friday at one time but sadly there are only two left.

“They used to come in one after the other and chat to the person before them and the person after them. Two of them passed away recently.

“One lady who comes in is 91-years-old. Coming here is the only time she goes out every week.”

Anne-Marie said the business started to struggle after Covid when people realised they could last a bit longer between appointments. And with the cost of living crisis she said the salon is simply not as busy.

‘With the rising cost of bills and rent going up, hair is just not people’s priority’

“With the rising cost of bills and rent going up, hair is just not people’s priority.”

But Anne-Marie is not hanging up her scissors for good.

Whilst she has got herself a part-time job as a health care assistant at Darent Valley Hospital, in Dartford, she will also be continuing the Hairlite Express name as a mobile hairdresser.

Her loyal colleague Sarah Eastwood, who first joined as a work experience student 17 years ago, will also be continuing.

Anne-Marie added: “I still love hairdressing. I love talking to people and I love seeing them leave the salon happy.”

Anne-Marie and her colleagues are inviting customers to join them for a drink at the Lads of the Village pub in Elizabeth Street, Stone on June 3.

The salon will close its doors for the final time on June 10.