"Heartbreaking" End of an era as David Antony Hairdressing closes after 46 years

For almost half a century, the familiar brown frontage of David Antony Hairdressing has been part of the fabric of Winter Road in Southsea.

But now it is saying farewell with its owner describing the decision to close as “heartbreaking”.

Since opening in 1981, director David Hyde said the salon has been much more than a place to have your hair cut. He described it as a place where friendships were formed, milestones were celebrated and generations of families returned year after year.

Children who nervously climbed into the salon chair for their very first haircut came back years later with children of their own. Weddings, proms, birthdays, first jobs, retirements and even difficult moments in people's lives were all shared within those four walls.

"Saying goodbye was heartbreaking,” Mr Hyde said. “There were tears, hugs and memories shared by clients who had been with us for decades. Many told us we had been part of their lives for as long as they could remember, and that is something I will always treasure."

Over the years, David Antony Hairdressing earned an outstanding reputation, winning Salon of the Year twice in The News Hair and Beauty Awards, along with awards for Beautician of the Year and Receptionist of the Year. At its height, the salon employed 17 people and was recognised as one of the South Coast's leading independent salons.

After dedicating 46 years to the business, Mr Hyde gradually stepped back into semi-retirement, leaving the salon in the hands of a trusted management team. He said it was a decision made with confidence after spending a lifetime building a respected business and a loyal clientele. Sadly, things did not unfold as hoped.

Mr Hyde explained that last year the salon manager left taking around 75 per cent of his clients with him in a ‘devastating blow’ from which the business struggled to recover.

He said that despite every effort to rebuild, the challenges facing independent businesses became relentless. This included rising employment costs, including increases to the National Minimum Wage, apprenticeship pay and National Insurance contributions which placed enormous pressure on already tight margins.

At the same time, he said, the explosion of home salons and the growing rent-a-chair culture created an uneven playing field, allowing many to operate with far lower overheads than traditional high street salons.

The salon director continued to invest his own money in an effort to save the business he had spent a lifetime creating, but eventually there came a point where the financial and emotional cost became too great.

He said the decision to close was one of the hardest he has ever had to make.

"There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think about the salon," he said. "It wasn't just my livelihood—it was my life. Forty-six years of hard work, thousands of wonderful clients and an incredible team who helped make David Antony Hairdressing what it became.”

As the salon doors closed for the final time, it marked the end of a remarkable chapter in Winter Road's history.

Mr Hyde’s greatest gratitude is reserved for the loyal clients who supported the salon through nearly five decades.

"To every client who trusted us, recommended us, laughed with us, cried with us and remained loyal over the years, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You gave me the privilege of doing a job I loved for 46 years.

“Although the salon has now closed, the memories, friendships and community we built together will stay with me forever."