Defiant NJ Salon Owners Push Back COVID-19 Reopen Date

PARSIPPANY, NJ - Nick Mirabella and George Verdis said they were going to reopen their salon June 1 despite Gov. Phil Murphy's executive order that prohibits it, and the night before the showdown with Parsippany Police— they blinked.

In a video posted to social media Sunday night, Verdis and Mirabella said they would not be opening June 1. But that wasn't the end of their message.

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Verdis and Mirabella said that the proposed consequences, which would include fines and penalties such as a loss of license for them and their employees for a year, had them call a vote.

"We're rational guys," Mirabella said. "We run our salon like a Democracy, like our state should be ran, but its not, so we decided to push our reopen date out to a later date."

The owners also said they would not be announcing the new opening date to the media, just to their clients. This is a sharp departure from their initial approach, which was to seek the national spotlight for their cause. The owners spoke spoke to CNN and Fox News about reopening their salon.

"What it comes down to is we have families to feed and our employees have families to feed," George Verdis said. "At the end of the day we were told by Gov. Murphy we were going to be 15 days, this was in March, then it went to 15 more days and then 30. There obviously isn't a plan from his end to open up."

Mirabella also gave radio interviews, telling NJ101.5 he doesn't want to become a spectacle, with people waving flags or signs or posting a copy of the constitution in the window, like the gym in Bellmawr. He told the radio station he wants to peacefully reopen as safely as possible, and would consider delaying it further if needed.

“If there’s other guidelines we have to get equipment for or the proper solution to sanitize with, we’ll be on hold until that comes in, but as of June 1, I don’t see it being difficult to find everything we need to keep things sanitary,” Mirabella said in the report.

But the attention they received was not all positive, which could account for their change of heart. Some taken to the internet to express them, review bombing the establishment on Google.

"Apparently people want to leave us a 1 star review on Google for our salon based on our opinion on Fox or CNN," the owners posted to social media. "If any of you have time today please stop by our google page and balance it out with some 5 starts to show your support."

Their plans also caught the attention of the Parsippany Police Department.

"In response to Brick and Mirror Beauty Bar’s announcement that they plan to open their business on June 1, 2020, in direct violation of NJ Governor Murphy’s Executive Order #107, they were formally advised by Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department that if that opening were to occur, the violation would be reported to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, who would review the matter to determine applicable charges," Chief Andrew Miller told Patch.

Miller noted that the Department understands the social and economic difficulties with the COVID-19 Health Emergency and applicable NJ Executive Orders.

"We are duty-bound and will continue to enforce NJ Executive Orders," Miller said, whether being made aware of planned violations or observed on-view his officers will similarly respond to NJ Executive Order violations.

Any violations of the executive order would be sent up the chain to the office of Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. Several areas businesses have already been cited for operating in violation of the order including a Parsippany dog groomer and a Chester pool store owner.

"As we all continue to safely, although painstakingly, emerge from this health crisis, PTHPD and all Emergency Service personnel respectfully ask for your understanding and patience.," Miller said.

Both owners said that thoughts of the police played into the decision because in light of the protests happening around the nation "the police are better used somewhere else than worrying about salons cutting hair."

They also noted that they were exploring their options through an attorney to open the legal way. You can view the entire video below.

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