A pink building on the side of the road leading into St. George’s that was Eunice Butterfield’s Beauty Parlour for more than half a century has been brought back into use — once more as a hairdressing salon but this time run by Barbara-Ann Paynter.

Destiny seems to have played a part in bringing professional hairdresser Miss Paynter to run the revived salon that is only a few doors away from her home opposite Mullet Bay.

A year ago Miss Paynter was not even working as a hairdresser after quitting the profession, and the Mullet Bay Road premises had ceased to be a beauty salon after Mrs Butterfield retired.

But the pieces of the jigsaw that led to the new salon gradually fell into place when a friend contacted Miss Paynter to tell her the premises were available and the Butterfields wanted it to become a salon again — a specific desire of Eunice.

And so Miss Paynter, who had been doing temping work since leaving hairdressing two years previous, made a bid to run a salon at the premises and was accepted.

She opened the “Bella” salon last weekend and has already attracted a good number of customers, many of whom are loyal clients who have followed her through the various salons where she has worked previously.

Becoming a mother was one of the reasons she originally gave up hairdressing. However, it had been her vocation since leaving school. Her aptitude for art and design at GCSE exam level, and the hair designs she created for herself led others to suggest that she give hairdressing a go as a career. She started out in Hamilton, but unable to secure an apprenticeship in Bermuda put herself through a hairdressing college course in Virginia before returning to the Island.

She went on to work in almost all the salons in the city and built up a loyal following. But then she stepped away from the business.

“After I had my daughter I could not do it anymore. In Hamilton there’s a lot of stylists and competition,” she said.

“I love being back doing this. I had told my cousins that I was thinking of opening a clothing store and they thought I was crazy and should do hairdressing because that’s what I loved doing.” There is only one other salon in St. George’s, so Miss Paynter feels there is good scope to run a successful business in the town and she has a fair number of her most loyal customers already booking appointments.

“A lot of people do not want to go to a salon in Hamilton,” she said.

Running a business only a few doors away from her own home was not something she had imagined. She had always thought having a business in St. George’s was too close to home, but now she is delighted to be such a short commute from her front door to the salon.

And running her business in the same premises where Eunice Butterfield had her beauty parlour for the best part of 50 or 60 years, is another bonus.

“Everybody got their hair done at Eunice’s and she wanted the building to stay as a salon,” said Miss Paynter, who as a neighbour of the salon would greet Mrs Butterfield regularly as she grew up, never thinking that one day she would run her own salon in the same place.

Bella salon is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sundays and Mondays it is by appointment only.