THE site of a former Christian bookshop is to be turned into a beauty salon.

Bijou is set to open in two weeks time in the former premises of Living Oasis in High Road, South Woodford.

Church congregations raised £20,000 in an unsuccessfl effort to save the shop after its owners, the Nationwide Christian Trust, collapsed.

It closed in July last year.

Corinne Harrison, 26, who has taken over the lease on the premises, said: “It’s always been a lovely looking shop.

“It’s a good location and it will be nice to bring something else there.”

The salon will also offer wigs to cancer patients who have lost their hair while undergoing chemotherapy. Miss Harrison added: “When my friend’s mum had cancer, it was the hair loss that made everything 100 per cent worse.

“We’ll be offering wigs for people who’ve had chemo, just to make them feel a little bit more special.” Adam Teller, 31, a designer based in Kitchen Design and Advice next door, welcomed the news.

“It might be the type of thing where while someone’s waiting for their cut, they look in our showroom,” he added. “It’s never nice to see empty shops.”

Kerry Bird, 35, the director of Essensuals hairdressers’ in nearby Electric Parade, George Lane, said: “There are five (salons) in George Lane already. I think there’s far too many, but who knows? “Good luck to them.”

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