The couple wanted to find somewhere with ‘a strong sense of community’
The couple own House of Vanity in Manchester(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
A couple behind a successful Manchester city centre salon have launched a new business in Tyldesley, Wigan, after seeking out a place with ‘a strong sense of community’.
After running businesses including the well-known House of Vanity salon in John Dalton Street, Danny Hirst and his wife Kate decided to venture into the wellness space together, launching a pilates studio with its own wellness bar.
Following more than 10 years of city centre living, and after welcoming their son Tristan, now 15 months old, they set their sights on ‘a quieter, more family oriented place’, somewhere they ‘could put down long term roots as a family’.
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When the opportunity arose to transform the former Saddle and Smoke bar, which replaced the former Enzo’s Italian restaurant but closed after less than 12 months, they jumped at the chance.
Danny Hirst and wife Kate with their son Tristan(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
With a complete ‘life savings’ refurbishment complete, their new Serenity Studio is up and running and already proving a hit with customers, offering reformer pilates, mats, yoga, sound baths and more.
“Our vision was to create more than just a Pilates studio, we wanted to build a welcoming wellness space where people could exercise, socialise and feel part of a supportive community,” said Danny, who used to operate nightclubs including ARK and Cargo.
“We hope Serenity Studio becomes a place that not only improves people’s health and wellbeing but also contributes positively to Tyldesley’s ongoing regeneration and thriving high street.”
Serenity Studio has opened in Tyldesley(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
The couple were hoping to access funding for the building through Tyldesley’s recent regeneration scheme, funded by Historic England and delivered by Tyldesley Community Interest Company in what was the only community-led scheme in the north west.
But they’ve just been told the four-year scheme has finished, and even if more funds become available, they wouldn’t be able to access financial help retrospectively for the work they’ve carried out.
Danny, 33, said: “When The Saddle and Smoke closed so quickly it understandably left a bit of a negative feeling locally, with a lot of people assuming the site would just sit empty because nothing seemed to work there. We wanted to change that narrative completely.
“We’ve invested heavily into transforming it into something Tyldesley doesn’t currently have – a boutique pilates studio with a wellness bar, making it the first dedicated pilates studio in the town.
The couple have spent their life savings transforming the building (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
“Rather than another hospitality venue, we’ve created a space centred around health, wellbeing and community, which feels much more in keeping with where the town is heading.
“This is is our first venture together in the wellness space and it’s something we’re really passionate about. We’ve put a huge amount into the refurbishment because we wanted to prove that such a prominent building can be successful again with the right concept.
“We’re pleased to be able to give a well known local building a new lease of life and given we’ve put our life savings into this and have missed out on the regeneration funding, we really would appreciate support from the local community and anyone wanting to visit.”
The couple say they chose Tyldesley because of its ‘amazing schools’ and say they’ve ‘visited plenty of times and love the area and friendly people’.
The wellness bar inside Serenity Studio(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
They now live just a few minutes away from the studio, which is in Castle Street.
Kate, a beautician, is still managing House of Vanity, but also helping to get the new business off the ground.
The 28-year-old said: “The fitness aspect is going as amazing as we thought it would, our instructors are so talented and able to adapt the classes to individuals. Given our class sizes are a maximum of six, we’re able to give it a personal and intimate feel for everyone that comes through the door.
“The community side has exceeded our expectations, especially with there being other studios close by. Everyone has been lovely, enjoyed their time in the studio whilst making new friends and meeting new people.
“I’ve been working hard at making sure everything is running smoothly and perfecting our menu as we expand the cafe aspect, so I’ve not had chance to do a class myself yet.”
Find out more about the business on the website here.