Local salons, boutiques see last-minute surge as they’re forced to close

Local salons and stores were forced to close up shop for at least two weeks, and many don’t know if they’ll bounce back if this shutdown lasts past April.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a stay-at-home order that began today to further prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which in a matter of weeks has infected hundreds in Indiana. All Hoosiers are asked to stay at home except to travel to work, grocery stores or pharmacies until April 7.

Places like hair and nail salons and local retail stores that don’t sell groceries, all of which were deemed nonessential, were forced to close their doors.

For Pam Service, who owns Classique Hair Style Salon in Franklin, closing for at least two weeks is going to be tough.

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"This is a feast or famine. If you can work, that’s fine. But if you can’t, I don’t know," she said. "This has been my livelihood for 37 years, so I don’t know what else I could do."

Like many independent hair stylists who rent out booth space in buildings, Service doesn’t get paid if she doesn’t work.

"If it comes down to it, do we pay our mortgage and keep our home, or do we pay our health insurance?" Service said.

Service is thankful she is at a point in her life when she doesn’t have to worry about providing for a family while she’s out of work, she said. But she worries about some of the other stylists at the shop, like Heidi Black, who has to take care of her family with less income.

Black has three children at home. Her husband is a factory worker. Together, they both make about the same amount of money, which means their income will be cut in half, she said.

She doesn’t know what she’ll do if the shutdown lasts more than two weeks, she said.

"I may have to get a part-time job until things go back," Black said. "I’m hoping this doesn’t last until June. I’ll cry."

Michelle Padgett, who also works at Classique, can get by two weeks without working, but more than a month would be her breaking point, she said.

"I’m going to tighten my belt for these two weeks, but four weeks would be a problem," Padgett said. "I have to work."

Service, who owns the building at 50 S. Water St., is applying for a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration, to keep the shop afloat while the stylists, who rent their booths independently, are out.

"They will probably not be able to pay their booth rent; that’s where that small business loan could be something that helps sustain us," she said.

At The Station Hair Parlor in Greenwood, owner Shannon Seniour faces similar uncertainty. She closed up shop Friday, before Holcomb issued the stay at home order. 

Luckily, she has money saved to help out while the salon is closed, but she knows many stylists won’t survive financially after a month or two.

"You have bills at home. You have kids to take care of," Seniour said.

The Station Hair Parlor is taking the governor’s order seriously, she said, and will evaluate reopening week by week, even after the governor’s order ends on April 7. 

"I think it was a good idea so we can try to get ahead of this," Seniour said. "As for the business, it will sting, but over time we can all climb the stairs and get out of this mess."

Hair salons seemed to stand out on the list of nonessential businesses, producing a surge of customers on Tuesday.

Classique received messages for hair appointments until 11 p.m. on Monday after Holcomb’s announcement, Service said. 

"A lot of them (clients) panicked and called and asked, ‘Can you get me in before midnight tomorrow night?’" she said. 

Black and Padgett were booked all day Tuesday, before they closed. Seniour was booked before The Station closed Friday.

"There’s something about having your hair done that helps people feel better about things you can control," Service said.

Classique is one of the older hair salons in Franklin. It’s been open since 1980, and the stylists hope it can stay open long after this public health crisis fizzles out. Padgett, who has been a stylist for 40 years, hopes to keep doing hair for years to come, like her grandmother. 

"I’m a die-hard hairdresser," she said. "I’m going to work ’til I’m 70. My grandma worked here with me until she was 80."

Local boutiques are also having to reevaluate how to serve their customers while their storefronts are closed.

Wild Geese Bookshop in Franklin closed its doors last week when restaurants were ordered to close their dining rooms. The shop now offers online orders of audio books, e-books and hard copy books on its website, and continues to deliver book care packages.

Right now, owner Tiffany Phillips is focusing on the needs of the community. She is worried about the business financially, but she’s trying to be creative in how she can still serve Franklin and surrounding communities.

I’m determined to find any creative outlet I can to continue to give people something to look forward to, something to read, something to feel comfort during a challenging time," Phillips said.

"It doesn’t mean that I don’t get scared, because I do. But I can’t operate from that mental space."

The community continues to show support by ordering books and care packages, Phillips said. She’s seeing a lot of care packages be purchased by health care works to give to colleagues and grandparents, she said.

"Never underestimate the power of a grandmom who can’t see her grandbaby," Phillips said.

BYTAVI Boutique in Franklin, which produces fair trade, handmade clothing and accessories from seamstresses in Cambodia, closed its store on Friday. 

It will continue to run its online store for deliveries. Employees in both Franklin and Cambodia are being asked to work from home, if they can, said Lindsey Cangany, BYTAVI brand manager.

"COVID-19 is a problem in Cambodia, too, " she said. "Just as our staff here is able to work from home, our seamstresses who have sewing machines have been able to take product home and work themselves."

The community continues to show support for BYTAVI as well by shopping online and promoting the business, Cangany said. Online orders will most help the boutique, which is offering free shipping while the store is closed. 

"One hundred percent of the money goes to seamstress wages, purchasing materials, anything they need," she said. "Shopping online will help us keep product moving."

People who can’t buy products can also help by promoting the boutique on social media. Like and share its posts, Cangany said. 

"It helps our visibility, and that will in turn help with sales," she said. "This isn’t just for us, but for any local business."