The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
TAKE IT OFF THE TOP
Ohio Exclusive Barber Salon excited to be back after coronavirus pandemic closure
Among the barbershops that reopened May 16 after closing for the novel coronavirus, Ohio Exclusive Barber Salon in Amherst
is back in full swing.
“It’s been going good,” said Ralph Mercado, owner of the shop at 151 Park Ave., about the reopening. “It has been different trying to figure out all the regulations and making sure everything is followed to maintain safety.
“We have been having folks wait in their cars for their appointments,” he said. “If they can’t wait outside, then we make sure they are sitting six feet apart in the lobby.”
Mercado said it was difficult a number of weeks ago hearing that the business had to close down.
“We were all kind of getting antsy. We’ve been ready for the reopening for a while now, but we understood the plan.”
— Ralph Mercado, owner
“That was hard,” he said. “We knew we had to do what we had to do to keep everybody safe, but it was still tough.
“It is also tough because being self-employed, we are not able to claim unemployment. They allowed us to file for unemployment a couple of days before we reopened, so maybe we’ll start getting it now.”
Mercado said his employees and customers were glad the business was open.
“We were all kind of getting antsy,” he said. “We’ve been ready for the reopening for a while now, but we understood the plan.
“My employees were ready to go and we were very happy to get the news from the governor. The customers were really anticipating the opening as well.
“What we did was, we left our appointment book open in anticipation that an opening would happen. When we got closer to that date, and we knew we couldn’t open, we would cancel the appointments. When we cancelled the appointments, customers went back online and made new appointments. So, when they did allow us to open, we were already booked up.”
Mercado said Ohio Exclusive is taking all of the necessary safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We are doing all of the disinfecting we can to make sure everyone is safe,” he said. “We are (using Lysol on) every chair after a haircut is finished.
“We are also all wearing masks and gloves. It is really different from the norm, but we are very glad to be back.”