HARTFORD, Conn — Story by Quentin Shorter
Amid the Coronavirus pandemic barbershops and salons across the state have had to adapt to rules and regulations to help stop the spread of the deadly virus.
Gee Lester, the owner of It’s a Gee Thang Barber Salon and Spa in Hartford, Connecticut has been adapting to these changes in an effort to keep the staff and customers safe. He uses sanitizing sprays like Lysol and sanitation wipes to spray down and clean the chairs.
They no longer allow people to gather in the salon and everyone wears a mask. They also collect everyone's information for contact tracing purposes. They can no longer allow people to just come into the salon anymore. Appointments have to be scheduled.
Because of all of these changes, they are not as busy as before. Business is down tremendously, but they are doing their best to survive. Gee feels that people are afraid to come into the salon so there are many people who have just not gotten haircuts.
Gee is not alone in his tribulations. The beauty industry as a whole has been shook to its core by the change in norm caused by the Coronavirus. This has brought about a lack of income to the beauty industry. "We can no longer do multiple people at one time. We have to do clients on a one on one basis," says Sadonia Walton, owner of Studio VII Suites in Windsor.
Small businesses like barber shops and salons are staples of our community, and it is important to show our continued support during these uncertain times.