AN iconic salon is set to close after 45 years with loyal clients left "heartbroken".

Hairdresser Allan Iveson waved goodbye to his staff and many customers when he shut up Jalz hair salon in Thornaby, North Yorkshire.

Alan, 66, spent more than £100,000 transforming it into a state-of-the-art salon found in the Pavilion Shopping Centre.

But the business – which has operated in the area for over four decade – will now be converted into a takeaway.

Alan's long term aim was to eventually sell the business once he retired.

Instead, the proud owner said that he was left on the brink of tears after learning of the planned change.

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He told TeessideLive: "To say that I am heartbroken is an understatement- this is a thriving business, built upon decades of hard work.

"When I head out of the salon on Saturday [November 11] so many wonderful years spent working in Thornaby will cease when I hand over the keys to the property.

"My staff have been wonderful and my customers have been in tears as they have visited Jalz on their final appointments to say goodbye."

Alan added that the barber and customer relationship is what all the best hair salons are built on and he was lucky to experience something "super special".

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He continued: "The chats, the coffees, the biscuits and being a willing pair of ears has been a comfort to so many and vice-versa with myself and wonderful staff.

"It's hard to put into words how I am feeling right now with the continuous wave of emotions.

"It feels like a lifetime of work has just been snatched away from you – the kind of thing you wake up from following a nightmare – it's truly unbelievable.”

Allan has built up a friendship with TV star Crissy Rock, star of the ITV series Benidorm in which she plays Janey Yorke.

Crissy has visited his salon through the years and helped Allan with his many charity drives to support the local community.

Crissy, the former I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! star, also was on hand to cut the 40 year anniversary cake and to celebrate four decades with his staff and long-time customers in 2019.

And in 2016, Gogglebox TV stars Sandra Martin and Sandi Channer arrived on Teesside to help Allan with a Thornaby community charity project. 

A devastated Alan said that he "can’t thank people enough" for their support.

And he believed that the business had "been much more than a salon" in the 45 years it was open.

Early in 2022, a member of Allan’s team was informed by a customer that the property owner, Proudreed Ltd, had applied to Stockton Council for planning permission to convert the premises into a hot food takeaway.

Despite receiving a large number of objections to the plans, the council ’s planning committee gave Proudreed the go ahead.

A spokesperson for Stockton Council confirmed: "It (the application) did go to the planning committee in March and it was approved."

Councillor Ray Goodwin was among those who objected to the plans.

In a letter addressed to Planning Administration on February 21, he said: "This hairdressing salon has been a cornerstone of the town centre for over 40 years and in this location since their development, it adds diversity to the town centre by increasing scope of services offered that is fundamental to a successful town centre.

"Drawing in customers from far and wide who then access other businesses within the area, this is diversity and a service we cannot afford to lose."

It comes after a high street shop with over 160 stores loved by parents has announced the closure of another location.

Major toy chain The Entertainer is set to pull down the shutters of one of its branches located in a popular Bristol shopping centre.

The move came just days after the store announced they would be closing another one of its town centre branches, with locals left devastated.

But it's not just toy stores that have been hit hard, many high street retailers have been struggling to stay afloat over the past few years, especially following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Energy costs have soared and more consumers than ever are taking their shopping online rather than physically visiting brick-and-mortar stores.

This has left several retailers grappling with budgets and being forced to close branches to slash costs.

Boots recently revealed it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand. 

Popular chains including M&Co, Paperchase, and Wilko closed all stores in 2023.

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