‘A lot of growth.’ Keys barbers, salons reopen after shutdown to a whole mess of hair.
Rolando Liz reopened his BB’s Barber Shop in Key West to quite a buzz.
Customers filled the chairs on Monday afternoon while a couple of men had to wait outside.
“A lot of growth,” Liz said of his customers’ hair after seven weeks of the statewide salon shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Too much. They probably went without a haircut before that, too.”
During quarantine, Some took a whack at giving themselves a trim or enlisted an amateur.
“Yeah, and their wives cutting their hair,” said Liz, 28, smiling. “Not too good.”
Liz, a Key West native, arrived at his Flagler Avenue shop at 5:30 a.m. Monday to prepare to follow all of the state, city and county directives.
He and his barbers wore masks and they only took customers by appointment. But they also allowed some people to wait outside for a turn in the chair. They disinfected between clients, who appeared eager to shed their self-quarantine locks.
Customers must wear masks unless they get in the way of the services.
“Seven weeks,” said Scottie Etheridge, 48, of Key West, when asked how long it had been since he got a haircut. His barber Vontay Gardner gave him a close shave on the sides.
Hair salons opened in most of the state Monday, except for Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which may see some reopenings as soon as next Monday.
Florida nail salons were also given the go-ahead to reopen.
Some Keys salons opted to reopen Tuesday, citing the short notice given by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who tweeted out the announcement Friday, and the city of Key West, which released an order on Sunday.
Monroe County put out an order Monday morning that included massage therapists in the same reopening phase as barbers and hair salons even though DeSantis and the city did not.
“It falls under ‘elective medical’ and was included in our directive for clarity,” said county spokeswoman Kristen Livengood.
Randall Lail, who opened his own Headlines salon in January on Fleming Street, said he had no reservations about reopening during the coronavirus crisis. He said he takes plenty of time between clients to disinfect everything.
“I’m doing one person at a time,” Lail said. “Less money for us but it’s money.”
Lail cut hair all morning Monday and said he was booked solid for the next three days.
One client looked ready to cry, he said.
“Everyone is ecstatic to be having their hair done,” Lail said. “Everyone’s loving it.”
Liz Stricker will reopen her Avenue salon in Key West on Tuesday. The salon was closed Mondays anyway.
“I would love a little more time but I’m broke,” she said, of reopening. “I have to open ASAP.”
Stricker said it took a while to shut down and said her salon looks haunted with all the drop cloths covering everything.
She hasn’t cut a single hair since the shutdown — not even her husband’s.
“I had code enforcement call on me when I went into the shop to do laundry,” Stricker said of an encounter last week. “I took it so personally. There was a woman in front of my shop with a video camera. I’m not a rule-breaker. I live in fear.”
Deanne Hood, an owner of Jess Von Dee Studioz on Big Pine Key, says she’s had to spend a hefty sum on cleaning products, paper neck strips, disposable towels, gloves and masks. But she’s happy to be serving customers again.
“I’m very thankful to be here,” she said Monday.
Hood said every station will be disinfected in between clients, as well as all surface areas, “including the PIN pad for the credit card machine.”
Ginger Viele, 57, has owned Ginger Snips Hair Design, also on Big Pine Key, for 22 years. She’s also going to open this week. The salon is usually closed on Mondays, so Tuesday is reopening day.
“I’m going to work tomorrow,” Viele said Monday. “I’m going to see if I can survive this mess.”
Viele had to rebuild after Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Georges in 1998, but neither of those storms inflicted the degree of economic damage that the COVID-19 shutdown has caused.
“I was never as financially hurt as I was with this.”
Staff writer David Goodhue contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 4:51 PM.
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