Connecticut Salon Owner: Reopening Will Require Adjustments

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — Gov. Ned Lamont is expected to release guidelines for the first phase of a gradual reopening for some commercial activity on Friday into next week, but one salon owner is saying she is not expecting to turn the key and automatically be back to business as usual.

"I love what I do and I want to get back to doing it," said Amanda Rae Knight, owner and operator of Attitudes Salon at 1750 Ellington Road in South Windsor. "But I don't see it happening on May 20 because I will need certain equipment and operate under certain conditions."

May 2o is one target date being bantered around by state officials.

Knight had been working at Attitudes when she bought the salon about four years ago from the previous owner, who had run it for more than two decades. At 26, she owned a business and renovated the place about three years ago.

Now it's going to be business as unusual in her 850-square-foot-space, and the look will change, she hinted. As of Friday morning, Knight was basing her statements on "what little tidbits I've gotten here and what other states are doing," while adding she hopes for more clarity from Connecticut officials.

Off the bat, she says, the coffee, tea and other beverages she serves are out, as will be the snacks. She will be doing it all at the risk of altering the atmosphere, but acknowledges safety is paramount, and she might need some type of partitions between the stations.

"They can't be physically moved to maintain 6 feet," she said of the chairs and stations. The waiting area will likely be eliminated, she added.

Knight said she normally cleans the instruments after every client, but she added stepping things up amid coronavirus concerns could mean spending upwards of $1,200 to purchase a "large sterilizing machine" that, for example, takes an hour to clean a set of scissors.

Knight is expecting blow drying to also likely be out because it could create gaps in masks and circulate the air.

Attitudes Salon In South Windsor (Amanda Rae Knight)

Another dilemma is multi-tasking.

"I won't be able to run from, say, a dryer to a client with a highlight," she said. "I could normally handle two to three clients at the same time, but if we have to have just one person in the building, it will affect business."

Knight said she also worries about accommodating the stylists who rent space inside Attitudes.

"Once we have direction, I will have to sit down and work on scheduling," she said, adding one option might be turning the waiting area into work space.

"We're very social ... it's like family in the shop," she added. "We're carefree and personal. I never wanted a stuffy, commercial salon. I'll see what we can do because we have to get back open. People need haircuts."

Knight said her parents watch her 13-month-old son while she is at work, but it won't be automatic hugs and playing when she gets home.

"I'll have to change and wash before I even go near him," she said. "Also, what am I wearing at work? What PPEs do I need and is the state giving them to me? So do I wear a mask or do I need a shield? We need the official guidelines."

Knight said she has not been provided any unemployment compensation, but has received a small government loan. She has been able to pay the rent without any money being generated aside from some at-home kits she has been distributing curbside.

He husband is still working, which is a relief, Knight said.

She says some salons might not be able to reopen. And for those that do, May 20 "doesn't seem realistic."

"Some supplies we can't even get immediately, so it will require time to find the best way to do it," Knight said. "By the first or second week of June, I could have everything perfectly in order."