Paul Swaffield - from apprentice to entrepreneur Picture: Swaffields

Wimborne’s Swaffields hair salon and barbers celebrates a decade of style

Tait ap EllisMarch 7, 20250 Comment0

A WIMBORNE hair salon and barbers has just celebrated its tenth anniversary.

Swaffields, which has three hair salons in Lilliput, Upton and Wimborne, has grown steadily over the years.

As a Wimborne schoolboy, owner Paul Swaffield completed work experience in a hair salon in the town, which led to a Saturday job washing hair and cleaning the salon.

At 16 he took an apprenticeship in hairdressing and barbering at Bournemouth College. At 18, he knew he wanted to run his own business, and by the age of 23, he was doing just that.

Now at 41 years old, he has three Swaffields and employs a team of over 30 barbers and hairdressers.

His Wimborne-based business in Mill Lane, which styles men’s and women’s hair, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

It’s a family affair as his wife and business partner Nikki was instrumental in setting up the Wimborne salon as well as working front of house in the Upton salon.

His 75-year-old mum, Carol, is front of house in Wimborne and his dad, Bob, a handyman and plumber, is on call across the salons. Paul’s teenage daughter Poppy is a hairdresser in the Upton and Lilliput salons.

Paul said: “My mum and dad worked from the age of 13 and it inspired me to do the same.

“My dad started to train as a hairdresser but gave it up as there weren’t many men in this profession at that time and he got ridiculed.

Swaffields is a vintage-themed barber and hair salon Picture: Swaffields

“He regrets it to this day. I’m so thankful I’ve had the opportunity to follow my chosen career and bring my family along with me as part of my team.

“I couldn’t have achieved all this without the amazing support of my wife who gave up her own job to join me in the business.

“Nikki has been such a driving force. She’s incredible to work alongside.”

Paul recalls he’s faced his share of teasing.

“I had to do a talk about my schoolwork experience in front of my class and got laughed at for choosing hairdressing,” he said.

“I still remember that day and thinking to myself that I would prove those hecklers wrong!”

The driven entrepreneur is still very ‘scissors-on’ in all his businesses, splitting time between them all to cut hair for loyal clients.

He said: “I love what I do. I still cut my very first customer’s hair and my former headmaster’s.

“I was very quiet at school, but hairdressing pushed me out of my comfort zone.”

Paul also gives a lot of his time to working with boys interested in becoming barbers.

He guest lectures at hair training academies and currently has a 16-year-old lad working for him.

“I’d love to expand my business and start a training school for young hairdressers,” he said.

“Barbering and hairdressing is such a great career that can work around having a family but often boys still don’t see it as an option for them.”

He added: “Opening a business in Wimborne was one of the best moves I’ve made. We love being part of the Wimborne community and working in a town that is thriving. Here’s to the next ten years!”

Swaffields Wimborne and Swaffields Lilliput have also been nominated for the prestigious Hairdresser of the Year Salon 2025 run by Bournemouth Daily Echo and the Wimborne salon has been shortlisted for the Wimborne Business Awards which take place later this month.