Tony’s hair salon leaves York Street home after more than 60 years

Albany salon Tony’s — believed to be one of WA’s oldest family-owned hairdressers — has moved premises for the first time after 60 years on York Street.

Tony Romeo, the salon’s namesake, immigrated to Perth from Italy in 1956, where he first worked as a barber, before taking a job at a sawmill in Rocky Gully.

A weekend visit to Albany in 1959 for a haircut at the White Star Hotel’s barbershop was the start of his hairdressing journey in the town, according to Tony’s son, Giuseppe (Joe) Romeo.

“He went in for a haircut and he asked the barber, ‘are you looking for a barber?’, and he said ‘yes’, so he got the job,” Mr Romeo said.

In 1960, Joe Romeo, his brother, two sisters, mother and grandmother left Italy and joined their father in Albany.

Tony’s hair salon opened on York Street the next year.

In 1964, Mr Romeo started his hairdressing apprenticeship under his father and he has been part of the family business ever since.

Tony’s has seen many changes throughout the years, going from offering only haircuts, to the full cut and colour service in 1974.

In the late 1970s, it evolved to provide beauty therapies and body piercing services and was the first salon to offer IPL treatments in Albany.

“It was first known as a continental salon and he had a very good reputation from day one,” Mr Romeo said.

“Up to about a year ago, we still had one of his original customers that he did down on Stirling Terrace, but obviously they pass on, unfortunately.”

In 1978, Mr Romeo’s wife Jeanette started her apprenticeship at Tony’s.

Their daughter Amanda Winchester, who “wasn’t interested in getting into hair” when she was young, according to Mr Romeo, later undertook her own apprenticeship and joined the family business.

Last year, the family started planning their move to new premises on Albany Highway which Ms Winchester had a hand in designing.

It features one of the original hairdressing chairs from the old salon.

He said it was “fantastic” to have the new space, but admitted it had been hard to leave behind the York Street salon.

“It’s very, very sad, and it has been over the last year since we knew that we were going to shift,” he said.

“But the weird thing is, it really hit on the day that I left the keys behind.

“When I closed that door, it was final.”

However Ms Winchester said the history and family values at Tony’s went beyond the location.

“All of our customers are very much part of the family here. Everyone is family,” she said.