Coronavirus news in Charlotte: Salons, barbershops packed on eve of closure order
Market Place Barbershop in Mooresville was packed with new and returning customers all day Tuesday, a scene repeated throughout the Charlotte area.
It was the next-to-last day before Gov. Roy Cooper’s order kicks in that all North Carolina haircutters close to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The Lake Norman barbershop typically sees a steady stream of customers, but not like Tuesday, Brandon Davis, master barber/stylist at Market Place Barbershop, told The Charlotte Observer.
About 20 people called for haircuts, compared with four or five on a typical day at the walk-in-only Lake Norman barbershop in the Morrison Plantation community, Davis said.
Men, boys and teens sat patiently for up to 1 1/2 hours, compared with a half-hour on a typical day, owner Eric DuRant said.
Customer Victor Dowless said colleagues had commented on his lengthening hair during a Zoom conference call earlier Tuesday. “I needed a haircut, so I ran down here so I wouldn’t be made fun of the next time on Zoom,” he said.
Long days, short hair
The last-minute rush also hit Charlotte-area by-appointment-only salons.
Luis Moreno, owner of three south Charlotte Salons by JC, said some of the self-employed beauty professionals at his locations were working 12 or 13 hour days to see as many clients as possible before Wednesday’s 5 p.m. mandated indefinite closure.
Clients with upcoming appointments rescheduled to have their hair done in the days before the closure, he said.
Kat Roy, a stylist at one of the south Charlotte Salons by JC, maintained her optimism.
“We will come back eager, hopeful and with a new appreciation,” she wrote to colleagues and clients.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 4:59 PM.