ROCKFORD, Mich. — Restaurants, schools, bars, and fitness centers have been ordered to close under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's order to protect the public and to try to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in Michigan, and now, many hair and nail salons are choosing to close, too.
“We just feel it in our hearts,” said Lindsey Pierce, co-owner of Meraki Salon. “We felt better about closing than we did about staying open.”
Rather than tending to clients, the salon spent the day calling their scheduled guests to rebook their appointments. The salon’s second location, The Face Bar, is closed as well. Under the category of a spa, it fell into Witmer’s order to close earlier this week.
“This decision was not taken lightly,” said Pierce. “It’s been really hard because we have 35 employees that are now not working, and a full book of guests that need to be rescheduled.”
Amanda Shelner is one of those employees, a hairstylist, who will be off work for weeks.
“Financially it is a scary time, but I know we’re not the only ones in this situation. So, I’m just trusting we’re in this together. I hope the guests know we’re doing this for them and the safety of everyone," said Shelner.
Shelner said she will be staying at home for the next few weeks with her four children. She knows when the salon does reopen, she will be working many extra hours to make up for lost funds and to fit in her clients.
“With our guests, we are very intimate,” said Shelner. “We’re as close as we can be to get their color on, when we shampoo, when we wax, so it’s really hard to keep your distance.”
Lauren Hosford works at the front desk and has spent the entire day on the phone. She said she’s happy to see most of the clients are understanding during this unprecedented time.
“It’s not easy, but everyone has been pretty gracious,” said Hosford. “I mean they kind of know this is kind of a day-to-day thing. So we’re trying to get people on as soon as we possibly can, with the idea that for some reason we have to rebook again, we will do that.”
Currently, the salon hopes to re-open on March 31. Pierce said she hopes the nation as a whole can do their part to stop the spread, and this uncertain time doesn’t have to last much longer.
“I’ve already seen a lot of comradery with the community, which is awesome,” said Pierce. “When something like this happens, you hope people will band together. And that’s what people have done.”
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