Will Barbers and Hairstylists Survive during the Pandemic.

It has been a year now since the first lockdown in Quebec. Salons and barbershops closed operations because of the virus. COVID-19 is mostly transmitted through contact. As a result, hairstylists are prohibited to perform haircuts during the pandemic. Most customers were forced to learn how to cut their hair through YouTube tutorials and ended up buying their own hair cutting gadgets.

Bryan Perona, of Maharlika Barbershop in Montreal, Quebec, found it a hard long year for his industry. “We were supposed to open in April but the problem was the COVID. It was unexpected. We didn’t anticipate that this would happen. We just started and renovated the place.” Bryan mentioned in the talk show, Real Talk w/ Anjo. Originally, Maharlika Barbershop’s doors were supposed to open in April but they postponed their services until June 15, 2020. Unfortunately, COVID-19 cases are so volatile since they started and multiple barber shops remained closed even up to this point.

Chrome Artistic Barbershop in St. Catharines, Ontario, discovered a loophole that can manage the barbershop legally. They redesigned their place to become a film studio so they can continue their operations. Under provincial lockdown laws, production and film companies are allowed to maintain their services. Instead of haircut appointments, they offer full film auditions for their clients.

This is an unprecedented time for business owners in Canada. Every business owner is trying to find creative ways to survive this crisis. This holds true, for barbers and hairdressers, who are just trying to survive and withstand these unfortunate times. The best way is for us to just support our local businesses throughout this country, in whatever way we can.

“I hope, I really hope, by next year this pandemic is over,” Bryan says. We surely feel the same way, too.