Gibson County salons discuss reopenings
GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — It’s the moment non-essential businesses have been anticipating, reopening their doors once again to serve customers in the community.
Traci Smith is the owner and hair stylist at Cutting Co. Salon and Spa in Milan. Smith says she’s been in business for 15 years and says hair styling has always been her passion.
She says closing her doors was not an easy decision.
“I never saw anything like this coming. I knew that we needed to keep everyone’s health as our first priority,” Smith said.
Smith says she is happy to reopen her business once again and be reunited with her clients, who she says have become more like a family to her.
“We are so involved with each others lives, and it was different going so long not knowing what was going on in their lives and them not knowing not knowing what is going on in our lives,” Smith said.
But Smith isn’t alone. At Changes Salon and Spa in Humboldt, hair stylist Paula Qualls returned to work last week.
Qualls has been a hair stylist for 20 years and says the effects of the coronavirus pandemic was something she was not prepared for.
“It was really a shock and a surprise to us all,” Qualls said.
Especially since she’s also developed a close relationship with her clients.
“It was really hard at the beginning. It was really good to see them when they came back in. Of course, we kept in touch over the phone,” Qualls said.
For those who are reopening their business and may be struggling to cope during these difficult times, both hair stylists have a word of advice.
“Coming together, helping each other has been helpful,” Smith said.
“Being a hair stylist, don’t give it up. A lot of people I’ve heard want to give it up after something like this but being such a passion of mine, I couldn’t do it and I love my clients too much,” Qualls said.
Both hair stylists say their businesses follows strict professional sanitation guidelines by cleaning and disinfecting equipment and preparing their work spaces for the next client.
