Coronavirus: Elmhurst Nail Salon Deals With Closure

ELMHURST, IL — Nail salons require close contact with their customers — it's the nature of the business. So Jennifer Veremis, owner of Elmhurst's The Beauty Lounge, closed her salon days ahead of the governor's March 21 shutdown of nonessential businesses.

"We didn't feel like we could keep serving clients," Veremis said in an interview. "We knew the mandate would come."

Veremis said she gets emotional thinking about how the closure has affected the 16-year-old business and its four employees.

"Our sales the last three years had gone up significantly," she said. "You are at the top of your game, then you are closed."

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Unlike restaurants, The Beauty Lounge cannot do curbside service or delivery. It is selling gift cards and manicure and pedicure kits to offset some of the income loss, but it's nowhere near enough, Veremis said.

When businesses such as The Beauty Lounge are allowed to reopen, Veremis said, it will be a different environment. Nail salons will likely take measures such as installing plexiglass for the safety of their clients, she said.

"People will be very cautious," Veremis said. "As far as an industry, we will have to dish out money before we open to put in as many safety measures as possible. As an industry, we're trying to get answers from our leaders. It's such a domino effect."

Veremis' business survived the Great Recession, and she said she worked hard to avoid debt. With the pandemic, though, service-based businesses may have no choice but to go into debt by getting loans, she said.

"We're trying to find alternative ways for cash flow. I'm putting more time in than when I was open," she said. "A business is not a job; it's your heart and soul. It's your energy. It's who you are."

Visit The Beauty Lounge's website for its gift certificate and raffle promotion and its new YouTube channel. "Small businesses are trying to be creative," Veremis said.

Read more:

Illinois Coronavirus Update April 14: 794 Deaths

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