Martin De Ruyter / Tips
Anneliese Colley and Melissa Teeling leaned on each other when their business plans were disrupted by the lockdown.
After making the big decision to open a business together, two friends refused to lose their minds when the lockdown upset their plans.
A few months ago, beautician Annelise Colley and hairdresser Melissa Teeling decided to jointly open a salon specializing in hairdressing and beauty.
The salon would be called Wonderland Hair & Beauty and would be located on Bridge St in Central Nelson.
Women were painting the walls upstairs when the government announced the country would enter Alert Level 4 at midnight.
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As Colley and Teeling were planning to open their doors in a few weeks, it was a big blow.
The women finished their painting and said goodbye, not knowing when they would meet again.
“I said; ‘I’ll see you when I see you,’ Colley laughed.
Martin De Ruyter / Tips
Anneliese Colley, left, and Melissa Teeling among renovations at their new business, Wonderland Hair & Beauty in Bridge St, Nelson.
Colley and Teeling moved to Nelson from Murchison and Blenheim respectively. They met several years ago while doing their hair and makeup for a photoshoot, and have kept in touch.
One day, while Teeling was doing Colley’s hair, the two friends decided to open a business together. The timing was incredibly good, they said.
The Covid restrictions mean their opening was delayed by a few weeks, until the week of Monday, September 20.
Despite the anxiety-provoking situation of opening a business at the time of the Covid and its restrictions, the two women remained calm and positive, supporting each other during levels 4 and 3.
The two women worked while organizing their new business. Since starting Level 2, Teeling has been helping a hairdresser friend deal with her backlog.
Teeling said having Collie to support and raise her during the lockdown made everything much more manageable.
THING
A Hamilton hair salon gave mothers of critically ill children a well-deserved day of pampering.
The living room is located in a historic building on Bridge Street, built in 1901. The contractors found old notebooks and paper under the floor, which the women will display upstairs.
Women say they chose an Alice in Wonderland theme because it had special meaning for them.
