FAYETTEVILLE -- Jokes about shaggy hair mixed with talk of cars and pickups Wednesday at the Oak Plaza Barber Shop as longtime customers returned to a familiar gathering spot.
"I've been coming here forever," Gary Harrel said from the barber's chair where Fred Champlin was carefully trimming his hair. "Every two weeks. Fred's been cutting my hair forever."
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Harrel said he's been waiting for five weeks for the shop on Garland Avenue to open and the last few days have been anxious ones.
"My wife called Fred two days in a row," Harrel said. "She said I needed a haircut, or maybe I was going to have to go down to the courthouse and buy dog tags."
Champlin, who has worked at the shop for 23 years, was busy cutting hair along with Scott Greenwood who has worked there since 2010. Both men were answering the phone as they tended to customers, making appointments days in advance. They said the shop, which has been open since 1965, had never closed and never had to operate under the kind of restrictions in place to limit the spread of covid-19.
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Both barbers wore masks and gloves while customers were required to wear face coverings. The chairs and other equipment used were cleaned with disinfectants between customers. No one was allowed to wait for their appointment in the shop and no walk-in customers were accepted, which was a big change for the two.
"We've always been a walk-in customer business," Champlin said.
Greenwood said the restrictions include taking each customer's temperature before beginning and making a record of each person's name, address and phone number, and maintaining the 6 feet of social distancing space. He said the requirements have the shop operating at about half its normal pace.
"We've been booking about 30 minutes apart," Greenwood said.
Jon Ramos, a barber at Bentonville Clipper, said he was nervous on the first day back after the shutdown.
"It's not nervous about getting the virus,' he said. "It's nervous about being shut down again."
Ramos said the last six weeks were stressful, not being able to work and earn an income. He said the shop is following the requirements of the Arkansas Health Department. Ramos was wearing a mask and so was his customer.
Ramos said he must wear the mask and gloves and is required to wash the gloves or get a new pair after each customer. The chair, cape and his barber's jacket must be disinfected after each customer.
Ramos said he's more concerned about possibly passing the virus to someone else than contracting it himself.
Ramos said his phone began ringing minutes after Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced last week barber shops and salons could open Wednesday. He said he's already booked until next week
"I guess in that aspect it feels good to be needed," he said.
Bob Prince with Bob's Barber Shop in Rogers said his entire week is booked, which he said is no surprise after being closed for six weeks. Prince said he normally closes at 5 p.m. but is working until 7:30 p.m.
Prince said he's not cutting anyone's hair if he suspects the person may be ill.
"I'm not going to live in fear," he said.
Prince said he's concerned because he's diabetic and his wife has a weakened immune system. He said he will shower when he gets home to avoid spreading anything.
Rebecca Connor owns RC's Hair Shop and Tanning in Farmington and is one of two women who work there. She said being closed for six weeks has been stressful and she's already booked solid.
"We're doing appointments only and I don't have anything open until Wednesday next week," Conner said.
Conner said she isn't selling any new tanning packages now but customers who have already purchased packages can make appointments for the service.
Conner said she wasn't eligible for unemployment assistance and that made closing the shop difficult. Her business didn't qualify for any of the loans available in the covid-19 emergency, Conner said.
"Not having an income for six weeks is a pretty good hit," she said. "It's been pretty rough, but we're open and ready to catch up."
Salon guidelines
After being closed in March to prevent the spread of the covid-19 coronavirus, barber shops and hair salons were allowed to open Wednesday under guidelines established by the Arkansas Health Department that include:
• Limit occupancy to no more than 10 persons, including employees
• No walk-in appointments
• Six-foot distance between clients during appointments and in waiting areas
• Client names and contact information recorded
• Time set aside for cleaning between appointments
Source: Arkansas Health Department
NW News on 05/07/2020