Hair loss help proves wig business for Mel

She lost all of her hair after a programme of chemotherapy and the experience shattered her confidence and meant she had to visit wig shops which were either clinical, uninviting and or very dated.

Jan 2011

An entrepreneur whose mum lost her hair after undergoing chemotherapy treatment has opened a luxury wig boutique.

Mel Burrell was devastated when her 55-year-old Pat Lowe was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus in 2008.

She lost all of her hair after a programme of chemotherapy and the experience shattered her confidence and meant she had to visit wig shops which were either clinical, uninviting and or very dated.

Her 32-year-old daughter, who has a background in financial services, was looking to start her own business.

And her mum’s horrendous experience prompted her to open luxury wig shop Parrucche in Virginia Street, Merchant City, Glasgow, geared towards women who have lost their hair through cancer or alopecia.

She said: “It was in 2008 when she was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus.

“She lost all her hair and my sister and I found ourselves going around all the wig shops with her. But we felt they didn’t provide the kind of service my mum needed.

“She is quite a strong woman, but when she lost all her hair it was very difficult for her. We are quite a close family, but when she was diagnosed it brought us even closer together because we all wanted to be there for her.”

Mel’s mum has now made a full recovery from her illness and even helped choose some of the decor and fittings for Parrucche, which is the Italian and Croatian word for wig. The boutique has only been open for a few weeks, but has already had scores of women, many of them cancer survivors, through its doors.

In addition to selling high quality synthetic and real hair wigs the shop also offers hair pieces and real hair eyebrows which are imported from America.

Makeovers, a hairdressing service and accessories are also available.

A large part of the boutique’s ethos is to give confidence to those who have lost their hair, but Mel also sees it as a lifestyle destination where women can celebrate the new-found positivity.

The business is among a cluster of new firms which have sprung up in the newly-revitalised Merchant City.

Nearby Virginia Court, which once housed the offices and auction rooms of the city’s famous Tobacco Lords, has recently been reopened.

Mel added: “My mum has played an important part of setting up the boutique and what happened to her was really the catalyst for my new business.”

Source