The owners of a thriving new salon in south Armagh which was burnt to the ground just a month after its official opening say it is “our worst nightmare”.
Mamma Mia in Jonesborough was the target of an arson attack on Tuesday night, devastating its owner Ashlinn Woods.
“We are beyond devastated to have woken up today to our worst nightmare possible,” she said in a Facebook post.
“We had just opened the doors to our new venture on November 19 and just four weeks later this was cruelly taken away in a matter of minutes by a suspected arson attack.
“It is very difficult to understand how anyone could be so malicious, after our blood, sweat and tears went into making this dream a reality!
“We would really appreciate if you could share this post and if anyone has any information to please let us know or contact the PSNI Newry and Mourne.
“The show has to go on. We have relocated temporarily to premises anyone with appointments please contact us via message
“We will be back with immediate effect to ensure as always are clients are the priority! We are very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused to our clients, please feel free to contact us on 02830 889064 or +44 7990 032072!”
Meanwhile, Emma Flynn has started a GoFundMe page in a bid to help her good friend get back on their feet in new premises.
“The salon was only in business four weeks and had begun to really thrive and brought a great dynamic to the village of Jonesborough and the new complex in Finnegan’s retail park,” she said.
“This incident has devastated Ashlinn and her family who are locals and all the time, money and love that was invested in building the salon was takin away in a matter of minutes.
“This is Christmas week and the busiest week of the year for somebody in the beauty industry and this kind hearted therapists livelihood now lies in a pile of burned out rubble.
“If anyone can help Ashlinn it would be appreciated. I can’t even express how overwhelmed she is with the support of her clients, local community and other businesses in the area. Thank you.”
You can donate to the fundraising campaign here.
