Ben Jay

withlove collective owner

Having grown up in our family salon, I’ve been around small business my whole life.

My parents stared our family business, The Hair Loft Ltd, in 1980. While I wasn’t there for the start, it was my stomping grounds growing up and I began officially working in the business when I was just 14 years old.

A number of years ago, I began to rethink what our salon experience could be. Wanting to reimagine something I’ve been in my whole life and worked in for 20 years was no small task. Then the pandemic hit.

We can all likely agree that small businesses and creatives were amongst those hit hardest during those tough times. Many closed or were barely able to get by. In that challenge sprung this idea: what if we celebrated and supported more than just our salon creatives? It’s an ambitious idea, but we understand the blood, sweat, and tears that go in to operating and growing a small business. We know the pain and joy of bringing something you create into the world. We also know the satisfaction of guests loving what you do. With that, we set out to do three things:

  • Create: We love to create things! We do this daily in the salon, creating styles and looks that make our clients look and feel their best. We also created our own merch in collaboration with other local businesses to help support each other.

  • Enjoy: So many creatives are making wonderful things! It could be beautiful things for your home, wonderfully crafted fashion, delicious drinks and snacks at the bar, or fun lifestyle goods.

  • Live: It’s much more fun to do things together and that’s why we put on events. We think supporting creatives, local business, and charities through engaging experiences is a great way to support what’s important in an exciting way.

When it came down to choosing a name, it was pretty simple. Whether it’s a musician, a stylist, a candle maker, or a brewer, it’s often not only the thing they make that we like, but it’s the passion and heart they put into it that we love. It’s that feeling we all connect with and where withlove comes from.