Carry on crimping as Tony hands over the keys

It's been in the family for more than 70 years, but now an award-winning Black Country crimper has handed over the keys to his Black Country salon to its new owner.

However Tony Shepherd, whose family ran Shepherds Hair Stylists from the same building in Willenhall town centre for 73 years, is not quite ready to hang up his blow dryer and trusty scissors for good.

He has sold the family business, in Stafford Street, but will still work there part-time to look after longstanding regulars.

Mr Shepherd, aged 73, was born on the very day his father Fred, a barber, opened up the premises for business in September 1935 after previously occupying a shop in nearby Wolverhampton Street.

"It is a landmark building. Everybody in Willenhall know about Shepherds because we have been here so long," he said.

"We used to be a barber shop and my sister Barbara launched the ladies side of the business in 1953. She ran it for three years, but married a baron and went to live in Switzerland. She is now in Devon.

"I took it over after that, but I wasn't too keen at first. I did my National Service and when I returned my dad told me to give it a go because there was more scope in hairdressing. In 1957 I took part in a competition and came second after that I was hooked."

He attended Wolverhampton Hair Academy, which had rooms above the Express & Star headquarters in Queen Street, Wolverhampton, and trained with well known hairdresser Dorothy Sadler, formerly Broadbent.

He won a haul of major national and international styling awards.

During his career he travelled to Amsterdam, Brussells and Cologne among other places to compete against the best in the industry.

But he is most proud of the famous real Gold Trophy awarded to him by the Fellowship of Artists in the 1960s for outstanding styling craft. "It was made of real gold and kept in a vault," he said. "I was actually presented with a framed picture of it and not the real thing."

Mr Shepherd met his wife of 45 years Dorothy, aged 70, at the salon where she was one of his customers. She was the receptionist for more than four decades.

Both of their sons, Jonothan, aged 40, and Anthony, aged 44, followed their father's footsteps into hairdressing.

"I decided to sell it because I've got heart problems and had a triple bypass in January," said Mr Shepherd. I was hoping the lads would have kept it going, but Jonothan who ran the salon for many years retired due to ill-health while Anthony is now a school teacher in Lancashire."

Mr Shepherd, also a member of Walsall Society of Artists, will now spend more time with his family.

Regular Doreen Sunnucks, aged 79, of Barmouth Close, Willenhall, said: "I've been coming here since 1970. Tony used to do my hair, then his sons, but he's leaving me in in capable hands with Emma."

New owners Toni & Guy trained Emma Parker, aged 27, of Great Wryley, and her partner Adrian Rooker, aged 29, said they had plenty of ideas for the business which will keep the name Shepherd.