Salon owners adjusting to new normal

Local hair salons have had to adapt their practices to be in accordance with the governor's guidelines in order to reopen. A challenge for some, many local salons are just glad to have customers inside.

'It's taking a lot longer to get caught up,” said Lexi Wilson, owner of Euphoria Salon in Mt. Pleasant.

Wilson said the salon is no longer taking walk-ins and all staff wear masks, sanitize each station between clients and have asked all clients to wait in their vehicles until the person before them exits the building to enter.

'We are trying our best to follow all of the guidelines that are recommended,” she said.

Wilson said when she first learned the salon would have to close due to COVID-19 concerns, she was relieved. Mixed messages were coming from all directions and it was a scary, unsure time she said. Especially being a parent to young kids, she was grateful for the decision.

'Being able to be home with them was helpful, but also scary,” she said.

Jamie Sobaski, owner of Follow Your Arrow salon in Washington, said she made the decision to close her salon on March 20, ahead of the governor's proclamation.

'I felt like I wanted to do my part in keeping my staff, community and clients safe,” she said.

Being self-employed, Wilson said she felt a financial burden from the decision to close as well. However, clients took the information in stride and were accommodating to the changes.

'I would say the majority of people were understanding,” she said, commenting some canceled before the salon officially closed because they did not want to be in the building.

Sobaski echoed that sentiment, saying patrons were respectful of the steps she took to protect both them and staff.

'We have amazing clients. Everybody was really understanding,” she said.

Both owners reported that while the salons were closed, staff took online education classes as well as cleaned and sanitized the salon to ensure it was ready for customers once more. On May 16, the doors were open again and staff began trying to make up for eight weeks of rescheduling

For Wilson, things were quite hectic at first but slowly the salon has been able to find a rhythm, she said. Although many changes are in effect, the salon still is as busy as ever.

'We're working at 50 percent capacity. It's the same amount of hours but half the amount of staff and half the amount of clients. The first week the phone would not stop ringing,” she said.

Sobaski agreed, mentioning one stylist in her salon is completely booked out through August. Staff are trying their best to keep up with demand, but it has been a struggle.

'We're just really, really, really booked out,” she said.