Eleni Lasheen of So Fab London beauty salon on living in Cally, making friends with clients and the her mission to put a spring in people’s step

Owned and managed by Eleni and Gary Lasheen for 14 years, So Fab London is a Cally treasure. Garry and Eleni worked in fashion for 15 years before setting up shop. As much as they loved the industry, they wanted a job where they felt they made a difference to people.

Coming from high-stress jobs that made it difficult to find a work/life balance, they realised how important it was for people to have a place where they could sit, relax and have some ‘me time’, away from the stress of everyday life. And so, So Fab beauty salon was born. Eleni tells us more.

“I’m a local girl who grew up in Islington and moved to the Cally in 1996. I met Garry in 1998, we married in 2001 (when you know, you know) and continued our life in the Cally. We have family and friends here, which means we really feel we know our clients. It’s really important to us and the team that our clients feel they’ve spent quality time and are happy with the service we’ve given them. It makes our day when people leave the salon with a spring in their step – we feel our mission has been accomplished.

We love being in Cally and close to King’s Cross. It means we have lots of different people coming to the salon: from local residents and City workers, to international clients. Some clients just like to sit and relax; some love to have a chat and catch up. Lots of friendships have blossomed at So Fab – people who started out as complete strangers are now great friends. We are like one big happy family and everyone is welcome.

Although last year was tough for lots of industries, the pandemic brought home how important our roles are to the community. People were so grateful when we re-opened and we realised that people really need our services to boost their confidence and self-esteem. We want to give them a sense of well-being or just to be there to listen. This is why we love what we do.”

Selecting the right staff is a crucial to ensuring clients receive a high standard of service. Eleni is delighted to have just recruited new apprentice Renee, who has just joined the team via the Kickstart programme.

So Fab London are also members of the Cally Traders Association. If you’d like to know more about the Association, please email Michael.Simmonds@islington.gov.uk

Follow So Fab on Instagram @sofablondon and find them on Facebook.