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“We have not received any financial assistance to stay afloat,” said Daryl Thomas, owner of Philly Cuts, a well known barbershop in West Philadelphia.
“Everyone entering would wear a mask,” said Thomas. “Upon entry, your temperature would be taken. It would be appointment only.”
Thomas notes barbershops already sanitize tools, and barbers are required by law to wash their hands and space chairs at least five feet apart. He said they will provide more space between booths to ensure guidelines are met.
“I’ve applied for everything. SBA, PPP, unemployment,” she said, “but you hear nothing. They don’t respond, they don’t answer the phone.”
So, she said, many of the business owners in her circle have no choice but to sneak around and work, going house to house doing hair.
“On one side, it’s illegal, it’s dangerous and people are getting sick,” said Williams, whose business has been shut down for over seven weeks. “But on the other side, if there’s no unemployment, no money coming in, how are you supposed to pay your bills?”
What’s worse is that the business owners say they see crowds gathering in grocery stores and in big box stores like Walmart, Target and Home Depot.
“People call going to the grocery store going to ‘Club ShopRite,’ ” said Williams. “I feel like why can’t we do one head at a time and space things out.”
Pennsylvania Rep. Morgan Cephas is one of the lawmakers working with the group.
Her office issued a statement via email, saying, in part, “The facts indicate that different industries have been impacted in different ways; Some, including those in the barber and beauty industries, have been left out of various sources of relief. I am stressing the need to target future COVID-19 recovery resources to these businesses specifically in an effort to help them recuperate and ultimately survive."
Both Thomas and Williams commend the lawmakers’ efforts, but note time is running out.
“People are being backed up against the wall, that’s what’s happening,” said Williams. “I’ll sit out the month of May, but in June, I have to go back to work.”
The business owners hope lawmakers and the governor clear the way for them to safely put food on the table.