‘We’ ve an extra space where customers can wait for colour to take’

Escapades Hair Salon has been operating in the village of Moira in Co Down for 23 years, run by business partners Simone Stronach (left), from Newry, and Jennifer Neill, from Warringstown.

The women have a staff of 10 and, to be able to open next week, they have had to take over a second unit at The Village Centre in Moira. The vacant unit which is downstairs from their salon will be used for people waiting for colours to process, freeing up more space to keep the main salon working.

Simone says it has been a life-saver: “Our landlord is allowing us to take over the unit. It used to be a Barnardo’s charity shop which closed during lockdown and it will be free of charge.

“I really do think his generosity has saved our business.

“Even with the social distancing rules relaxed to one metre it is still a challenge in salons and we won’t be able to have as many clients as we used to have.

“The extra unit will be used for people to wait in while colours are taking and we are also putting chairs outside the shop.”

Simone and Jennifer have been able to take away some of their work stations so that those in use will all be one metre apart, reducing the salon’s usual 15 seats to 12. Perspex screens will keep basins safe and staff will be wearing both facemasks and face shields. The salon will also be asking customers to wear masks.

There will be no refreshments or magazines in keeping with guidelines.

Simone says: “We have to sanitise each work station after a client leaves which will give staff a break from wearing PPE.

“We hope things will not feel too much different for clients.”

Pricing has been a challenge for the salon as they predict plunging profits due to the reduction in clients each day.

Simone explains: “We have spoken to the bank manager and our accountant and with being closed for so long we will be lucky to break even in the first month even though we are booked out.

“It is not even the cost of PPE but more the reduction in numbers that means there is not as much money coming in to cover overheads.

“We have always prided ourselves on keeping our prices realistic and we haven’t decided on what the new prices will be but we will have no choice but to make small increases.”

While the salon is booked out for the next four weeks, Simone is realistically taking a long term view on the future.

She adds: “Everybody is dying to get to the hairdressers now but after three months at home doing their own hair we think there will be an impact further down the line.

“There will be people who have decided to embrace their grey and others who don’t feel the need to go to their salon as often so we don’t know what the future holds.”