Barbershops In Stamford, Greenwich Reopen After Long Closures

STAMFORD/GREENWICH, CT — Cheryl Sciarretta was eager to open her new barbershop this past March. After previously running two shops in Norwalk, she decided to open up for business in her hometown of Stamford, aptly dubbing it Hometown Barbershop, located at 898 Hope Street (Suite 106).

Her lease had been paid, she had been given the go-ahead by the health department and was finally weeks away from a soft opening. (To sign up for Stamford breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

Then coronavirus happened, forcing Gov. Ned Lamont to order all barbershops, hair salons and other body care facilities to close down as the state, and the nation, grappled with the virus.

"I was right in the phase of everything," Sciarretta said in a phone interview with Patch. "Mostly, we felt uncertain. Everybody in the world felt uncertain at the time...we just had to go with the flow and kind of wait and see [what would happen]."

Now, after nearly three months, barbershops and hair salons in Connecticut were officially allowed to reopen Monday. For Sciarretta, her reopening was really the official soft opening she had planned for the spring.

Though it may not be how she initially envisioned her business homecoming, Sciarretta said she was already largely prepared for a lot of the precautions the Center for Disease Control asks facilities to take when welcoming back customers this month.

In this business," Sciarretta said, "we're very used to sanitizing and cleaning all day long. Now there are just extra steps to take."

Those "extra steps" include requiring customers to wear masks and gloves as they receive their haircut, both of which Sciarretta is able to provide if customers are unable to bring their own.

Customers are asked to wait in their car, not the building, until the time of their appointment. Sciarretta also asks every customer the same question prior to their appointment: have you or anyone that you live with or been in recent contact with had a fever or shortness of breath? If not, they are allowed to come in for their haircut.

"It's a single, one-on-one [experience] here," Sciarretta said. "No other barbers or hairdressers in here. It's very aesthetic."

She also makes sure to disinfect "everything" in between servicing each customer. Still, she admits she is learning new things each day.

"There are certain things you have to ebb and flow with," Sciarretta said, "and just use your common sense."

Looking out for other people's health is not new to Sciarretta. She is also a certified EMT, having previously volunteered with Westport EMS and worked night shifts at the American Medical Response in Bridgeport.

Likewise, customers seem to feel they are in safe hands.

"They feel really grateful for their haircut," Sciarretta said. "As soon as they come in and see that I've already disinfected everything, and I wash my hands in front of them again and put on clean gloves and everything, they're not really nervous; they're actually more satisfied to see everything."

Over in Greenwich, The Haircut Place owner John Hulton-Hilton has had a similar experience after reopening Monday. Located on Sound Beach Avenue, the barbershop has been servicing residents in the Old Greenwich area of town for decades, having built up a loyal customer base in the process.

Still, Hulton-Hilton admits he felt nervous when the shop had to close the day after St. Patrick's Day. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"It was pretty bad, because I didn't know if my business...would still be wanted," Hulton-Hilton said in an interview with Patch. "It was difficult, but we got through it."

During that uncertain time, Hulton-Hilton received some support from the community. One longtime customer even sent him a check for his next 10 haircuts in advance. As Hulton-Hilton prepared to reopen this week, the customer sent a check for another ten future haircuts to help the shop out.

"I thought that was very, very generous," Hulton-Hilton said. "I'll probably be cutting his hair until I retire."

Just like Sciarretta's shop, The Haircut Place is taking every necessary precaution to keep customers safe and following guidelines put in place by the CDC.

"Customers come in at their appointed time, and we all have to wear protective gear," Hulton-Hilton said, "and we're sterilizing everything after each customer; clippers, combs, scissors...you name it."

He noted customers have been "pretty happy" to return to the shop, as is the owner himself.

"It's great," Hulton-Hilton said. "I was keeping myself busy during those three months, but it's nice to get back into a routine again."