A SALON that opened two weeks before the first lockdown in March 2020 is now thriving.

J&J Beauty Salon on Botley Road opened for the first time on March 7 – two weeks later it was forced to close due to the first national lockdown, that resulted in all non-essential businesses shutting down.

Yet for entrepreneurs Jurgita Bickevic, 36, and Julija Kremnova, 33, lockdown may have been the best thing that happened to them, as it gave them time to expand their client base for their beauty hub.

Jurgita, who was born in Lithuania, explained: “It was a bit stressful.

“When we opened, we did not expect to go into lockdown – it was stressful for us, as it was for everybody else, but I believe maybe lockdown was best for us, because it helped us gain more clients because everyone was so desperate to get to any salon for any treatment.

“The stress we went through was eventually repaid.”

The salon, although located on one of the most congested roads in Oxford, is peaceful and tranquil – decorated to a high quality.

Julija, who was born in Latvia, said: “We didn’t sleep for days and days when we were decorating the salon.

“We wanted to create something nice and cosy, that felt like home.

“We put our hearts, love, tears, and sweat to create this space.”

The pair are on a mission to provide the highest quality beauty treatments, from haircuts to manicures and pedicures and eyebrow treatments.

Jurgita added: “Our customers are loyal and keep coming back because we provide good treatments, and also they can get their hair, nails, beauty treatments all done in one space, so they save time.

“They keep coming back and say we are so glad we found you – we can’t find anywhere like this.

“Some even say it feels like they are in a small spa.”

Between the pair and their employee, Rosina Marku, 32, who was born in Albania, they speak five different languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian, Albanian, Polish, and Russian.

The double-act, who previously worked together at another salon, say that their language skills make their salon ‘extremely multicultural.

Julija added: “Everyone is welcome here – no matter their religion, beliefs, or gender.

“Men do come in, but it’s still very difficult for them to fight the stereotypes – but we hope more come in the future.”

The salon is currently looking for another nail technician, as they can be ‘very hard to find’ as the good ones are ‘always busy’.

Jurgita also runs classes on Sunday evenings to teach up-and-coming beauticians and help them gain the qualifications needed.