Chesterfield beauty salon named best new business in Derbyshire at prestigious awards

Gemma Foster launched Aurora Beauty Studio on February 15 – with their services including nails, massage, lashes, microblading and aesthetics such as Botox and lip-fillers.

Only a few months later, the Sheffield Road salon was crowned the best new business in Derbyshire at a glittering ceremony hosted by England’s Business Awards.

Gemma said: “We got nominated and we’re not sure who by – we’re guessing it was a client that had been into the salon.

“We then put the business forward ourselves and we had four secret shoppers come into the salon. We didn’t know who they were or when they were coming in, and we don’t even know who they were now.

“All your clients can leave reviews and vote on the website, and then we got told that we were a finalist. We went to an awards ceremony at the end of last month, which was for the East Midlands category, and we won the best new business in Derbyshire. That wasn’t just for beauty and hair salons, it was all different kinds of businesses.”

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Gemma took on the lease of the former dog grooming parlour in January and spent around £10,000 on renovations – with the help of two tradesmen, her dad Tim and several friends.

She said that while the last few months were hectic, the response from customers and her fellow Sheffield Road businesses was overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s just been crazy, everything is going so well. We opened with just three staff, and now there’s 10 of us, so it’s been amazing.

“We’ve gained so many new customers and the recommendations have just been incredible. Everyone has been so supportive, and the other businesses on Sheffield Road have been great

“We’ve also been shortlisted for the best independent high street business category at the Love Chesterfield Awards in October and we’re looking forward to that. It’s just been a whirlwind.”