Coalition of Philly salon owners pushes for financial support during COVID-19 pandemic

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PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A coalition of barbers, hair stylists and nail techs from the Philadelphia region is working to find a way to survive restrictions on residents and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve been told they cannot reopen for clients, and most of them say they have received no support.

There was a moment of hope over the weekend, when scores of business owners from Philadelphia barber shops and hair and nail salons logged on to a Zoom video conference with Pennsylvania lawmakers and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. 

“It was a pleasure to be able to have that call. It showed a sign of the respect that was building but was not existing,” said Kenny Duncan, co-owner of Main Attraction Unisex Salon in West Philadelphia.

He has 12 employees and says most are independent contractors who don’t have access to SBA loans. And before the federal CARES Act was passed, they could could not get unemployment assistance either.

“We are last in line to be funded,” he said, “but are the ones that need the most access.”

The last eight weeks have left many business owners in the beauty services industry struggling, forcing them to back HB2459, a bill in the state legislature that would allow them to go back to work. 

They even came up with a plan that would let them work while keeping clients and employees safe, hoping it would get approved. 

“The status of us being able to work has not changed based on that conversation,” Duncan said.

Last week, businesses in several counties reopened in defiance of state closure orders. So on Monday, Gov. Tom Wolf threatened to pull recovery funding for business owners who break ranks. 

Under Pennsylvania’s three-phase red-yellow-green plan to gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions, barber shops and salons are among a group of businesses that cannot reopen until a region is in the green phase.

“We don’t want to go back to work. We want to be in compliance,” said Ann Turner, owner of Hair De Jour Salon in West Philadelphia.

She says federal and state governments need to step up for small businesses, and they won’t be giving up.

“We just don’t want to be pushed to the side because we are not getting the support we need,” she said.

She says barbers and stylists spend months learning disease control guidelines and will be ready to put them to use when it comes time to open their doors to customers.