Fab Hair & Beauty Darlington on first six months of business

Chioma Nwagbara, who is originally from Nigeria, opened Fab Hair & Beauty on Crown Street in April this year after moving to Darlington for work in 2022. She worked at GSK, a pharmaceutical company in Barnard Castle. She was made redundant, and that is when she decided to launch her own business.

The mum-of-one said: “I thought there was a market for this. When I moved to Darlington, there were not many African shops, but there are a few now. There was not an Afro-Caribbean hair salon either; I think we are the first ones.

“I kept buying things online, and that is expensive. You have to think about shipping costs and delivery costs. I thought about what I could do after I was made redundant. I wanted something that would give me a bit of flexibility.

“I remember before I was made redundant, I kept on asking for time off because my daughter was sick, little things like that. My husband and I thought we should just do this and start our own business. That is how it came about, mostly because there was a gap in the market and the opportunity to start a business came up.”

The salon offers services such as washing, relaxing, trims, braids, weaves, cornrows, crotchet, and hair treatments (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Fab Hair & Beauty offer products such as human hair and synthetic extensions, braiding hair, wigs, hair care, hair styling products, hair & beauty accessories and beauty products.

It also offers salon services such as washing, relaxing, trims, braids, weaves, cornrows, crochet, and hair treatments.

Chioma said she likes living in Darlington, and said the people are what make the town.

The business owner, who moved from south east England, said: “I like how calm Darlington is, I like that it is not too busy. London is manic, everyone is in a rush.

“People take things easier here, they are more relaxed, they have more patience.”

Chioma recalled funny encounters she had at her previous job, which showed the difference in people in the North East and South East.

She said: “I remember going to work and people would say hello and ask me if I was ok. I thought, ‘Why are you talking to me?’ I was wondering why everyone was saying hello to me.

The hair shop and salon opened in April 2025 (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

“In the south, no one really says hello, or asks you how you are. I remember there have been a few times when I have been stuck and I am trying to find something and people have gone out their way to help me. I really like that about Darlington.”

And Chioma, who is expecting her second child, spoke of how excited she was to start her own business, but she did begin to question if it was the right idea.

She said: “I was excited, but at the same time I was nervous because when we first opened, we were only open two days a week on Saturday and Sunday because I was juggling it with my other job.

“I think people did not know where we were to begin with, and people have only just started to discover us through Facebook and TikTok.

“At first, I felt like I was putting so much into the business, but it was not giving back. I started to think if it was the right move.”

Chioma thanked Darlington residents for their encouraging words (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

But she said now that people know about the business, customers are coming from across the North East.

“We have people coming from Sunderland, Newcastle, Newton Aycliffe. Knowing people are coming from our places, it is nice to know we can help people, and they don’t have to buy online. There is also a difference between like having that physical shopping experience and buying online. There is so much more of a personal touch,” she said.

Although she admits things are better for the business now, Chioma said the first six months were “difficult”.

“The first six months from April to September were difficult. We could not afford to employ someone in the shop full-time. We did look for grants to help, but we couldn’t get any. It is all self-funded between my husband and I. Because of this, we could not afford to have someone there,” Chioma said.

“When I had a day off from my other job, when I worked from home, I was always in the shop. And then I was also there on Saturdays and Sundays.”

However, she said since October business has improved a lot. She also thanked the Darlington public for their “encouraging” words.

Chioma said: “From the beginning of October when I started opening the shop full-time, I feel things have improved so much. I am able to take more bookings for people’s hair; we are able to sell and stock more products. I would say it is definitely getting better.

The salon is now looking to rent out chairs to salons and stylists (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

“The feedback and reviews that we get are so encouraging. People have been so encouraging and have told us how happy they are that we are here. We are really happy to hear that.”

And the growth of the business over the last couple of months has allowed Chioma to expand.

She said: “As part of our growth, we are inviting Afro hair stylists, braiders and barbers to rent a chair at our salon.”

Being a new, independent business which initially struggled, Chioma spoke of the importance of supporting and continuing to support businesses such as hers.

She said: “I think it is very important. For me, the main thing is that people know we are available to offer services to them. It is very important support is given to independent businesses because it will help them achieve and grow even more.

“When you have that support, it helps create more awareness that these types of businesses exist in Darlington. It is really, really important.”