Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

From diet and fitness to men’s hair guru

Post Thumbnail

Denise had wanted to be a hairdresser since she was a little girl. With The Men’s Emporium celebrating a milestone birthday, she tells discusses why she ‘can’t believe’ how quickly the time has gone.

Denise Fyvie is celebrating the 10th birthday of her award-winning business which gives men the “ultimate barber experience”. Based in the heart of Aberdeen, The Men’s Emporium stems from more than just a love for good grooming.

DID YOU EVER WANT A DIFFERENT CAREER?

As a little girl I always wanted to be a hairdresser. I did my apprenticeship with Jean’s Kut ‘n’ Kurl in 1980. She was a fab boss.

WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE OPENING THE SALON?

I brought up my children, Danielle and Fraser, and went back to college to do my Level 2 in beauty and loved that. Previously, in 1993, I went to train as a diet and fitness instructor with the fitness guru Rosemary Conley.
From 1994 until 2006 I worked for her company and ran the franchise for seven of those years. I realised I love making people feel and look good.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MEN’S HAIRSTYLING?

When my marriage broke down, I wasn’t myself for a while. Finding a
way to recover, I went for therapy and in that time met a lot of people that
suffered disturbing mental illnesses. Some of them were men of all ages. I realised that women could load-off to their hairdressers and, from working with them, I came to realise that men needed somewhere to be able to do the same.

Having qualifications in barbering and beauty, I decided to look into
shaving, well before barbering became a big fashion industry. I saw it coming 10 years ago and believed it would become big once again.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THISTLE STREET IN ABERDEEN FOR THE MEN’S EMPORIUM?

Choosing my location was very lucky. The solicitor’s mother-in-law owned the shop and he suggested 67 Thistle Street. I sat in the window watching the traffic, doing research for three days, asking the public if they would come to a barber shop in the area.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME, THE MEN’S EMPORIUM?

In Roman times, men loved to relax, chat and be pampered in their Empire, and I love ancient history.

WHY DO YOU OFFER WAXING AND MASSAGE AS WELL AS HAIR STYLING?

I am qualified in hair and beauty so I could offer those services and body waxing is very popular. I can work with certain products because my training
allows me to.

HOW DO YOU PICK THE STAFF
MEMBERS FOR THE EMPORIUM?

I don’t. They have picked me.

HAVE YOU NOTICED A CHANGE OVER THE YEARS IN WHAT SERVICES AND
PRODUCTS CUSTOMERS ARE EXPECTING?

Yes, we have noticed in the last three years that the barbering industry has become huge. I wish all the new businesses my best wishes – remember you have to work long and hard, keep training and learning new skills as we never know it all – refresh, retrain and love what you do.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE BUSINESS?

I would like more staff and I have a few things floating around at the moment. I won’t look for bigger premises because I bought the shop three years ago. Time will tell as I am 52, so I just want enjoy what
I do and let the future take me on
the journey.