“ONE CLIENT BROUGHT A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE”

When MICHELE BONNICK reopened her salon, customers came in with gifts

“I OPENED AMANI HAIR STUDIO near Yonge and Eglinton in 2000. Over the years, we built up a loyal base of regulars. A girlfriend of mine is a dietitian, and before the pandemic we used to run monthly classes out of the salon on topics like health and wellness, hair care and aromatherapy. It was beautiful—women would cry, there was a lot of hugging. It was a really supportive environment.

“To stay afloat during Covid, I opened up an online store selling all the products we carry in the salon. Later, during the second lockdown, I took the opportunity to finish off some business projects, like updating the website and researching new products. I started a service where clients who had alopecia could drop off their wigs in the mailbox, and I would wash and style them. I also did Zoom consultations on healthy hair care with new clients, both local and farther afield.

“But none of these projects were replacements for the real thing, and by April of 2021, I was itching to reopen the salon. We had all our appointments lined up and our Covid protocols in place. When the government announced that we wouldn’t be able to open at all, it was a huge blow. I had to reschedule more than 100 appointments. It’s hard to have this prime real estate right on Yonge Street and not be able to do anything with it. By the beginning of this summer, we had more than 200 people on our wait list.

“When we heard we could finally reopen at the end of June, we scrambled to get ready in time. That week, we spent about $7,500 on new products. We started working through the appointments that we’d already had to rebook, and slotted in people from the wait list whenever we could.

“When we opened our doors, the excitement was immediate—one client came in screaming, ‘I can’t believe you’re finally open!’ Even though so much time had passed, we picked up our conversations right where we’d left off. On the second day we were open, one client came in with champagne. Another brought chocolates and another showed up with a box of beef patties. It was like a big party, everyone coming in with gifts.

“We’re currently doing about five appointments a day. Everybody wants everything—cut, colour, treatments—because they haven’t been to the salon in such a long time, so each appointment takes at least a couple of hours. We’ve added Sunday and Monday appointments to get through the wait list, so we’re working seven days a week. I’m booked solid into the fall. It feels like my life is starting up again.”