A determined beauty salon owner is celebrating 25 years on a high street of long-standing local shops and businesses.

Evie Adams, on High Road, Woodford Green, is one of the most recognised shop faces on the street and has a long list of regular clients, dating back to the very first day it opened.

The salon owner, of the same name, who single-handedly built her business from the ground up, puts her success down to hard work, fearlessness and a constantly changing clientele.

She said: “I took a risk when I took out the lease on the shop because I didn’t feel like I could fail and the fear factor spurred me on.

“Failure wasn’t an option. I worked really hard from morning until late at night – every hour the salon was open – and never took a lunch break.

“When a client phoned up I would never turn them down because when you first start up, you have to go above and beyond to keep your head above water.”

Although Ms Adams has been a presence on the street for 25 years, she believes her varied type of clientele is what has kept her business going.

“When I first started it really was not common for women to get their legs waxed – beauty treatments were seen as something for the wealthy.

“Now everybody is able to go to a salon and have a treatment, it has become to norm.

“What I have noticed is that my clients are also getting younger and younger. Teenagers are savvier nowadays. As soon as they hit a certain age they want to get their legs waxed.”

But Miss Adams draws the line at taking on any clients under the age of 14.

“I had a girl of 12 coming in with her mother wanting to wax her upper-lip because she was self-conscious. It is hard to get the balance when girls are growing up so fast, but I had to say no.”

Even with local shops feeling the pressure under a growing number of chains and larger companies on the high street, Miss Adams feels the salon is an exception.

“Beauty is something that is never going to grow old in that way. Other shops will come and go, but people are always going to want to come to a local salon, where they know their therapist.

“A lot of shops have been here as long as or longer than I have so there really is still a sense of village community on High Road with a local feel to it.”

Client Maria Tuck, 57, of Broadmead Road, Woodford Green, entered the salon on the first day it opened and has since introduced many of her friends and family to it.

She said: “You get a really personal service when you go in there. When you go in you feel you can talk about your problems.

“It never matters who serves you because you know you will always get great service.”

The salon is hosting a 25th anniversary open day on November 7 welcome to anyone and will be providing a host of discounted treatments.