A HAIRSTYLIST from York has opened his first business in the city centre a week early.

Andrew Feve, who is just 23, opened Anti.dote on Tuesday in the former Random Encounter gaming cafe at 9, Gillygate, a week ahead of his original October 20 deadline.

He said: "The work didn't take as long as we thought so we were able to bring forward the opening date in the end.

The process has gone really smoothly with everyone working to deadline and working long days to make sure everything was finished.

"I am now fully booked till mid-November and Craig and Amber who are working with me, are both really busy."

The former Millthorpe School pupil says he first started working in hair salons as a Saturday boy aged just 13, and after finishing school he completed his apprenticeship at Kudos salon in Goodramgate before moving on to Bang in Low Petergate, where he started out as a graduate stylist and ended up as their education director, in charge of training.

Andrew said the unisex salon will be specialising in colour services.

“I’m a colour specialist and I have got my Loreal colour specialist degree,” said Andrew.

Andrew says the salon is home to two self-employed stylists as well as himself, and there will possibly be space for other freelance workers as things develop.

Inside the salon in total there are ten sections, six mirrored for cutting and styling and four for colouring and work that doesn’t require a mirror. He also hopes to have a photo studio for competition shoots that he will hire out.

Andrew, who lives in Strensall, said the salon is now open from 9am-7pm from Tuesday-Saturday.