leonard van jeens, BORN c.1920
hairdressing entrepreneur
Leonard van Jeens was established the London chain of Hebe hair and beauty salons, which provided hairdressing to both men and women. The chain grew to 30 salons across London; these included a salon adjacent to the Savoy Hotel in the Strand, which is still in operation in 2023. Together with three other salons in Canary Wharf (provided as an employee benefit within the offices of large financial and legal companies) the Hebe business is now run by his son Richard Rose. This account of Leonard’s life was recounted to Alex Reid by Leonard’s partner for 15 years, Monica Rose. Leonard combined perfectionist standards with great empathy towards his staff. His salon adjacent to the Dominion Theatre in Tottenham Court Road had a resident parrot which spoke to the customers; also a small band which would play music of the customers’ choice. Leonard’s father had made his living buying up bed linen and curtains from ocean liners which were being re-fitted, and repairing them for resale.
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