Charlottesville hair salon tweaking its business model to make customers feel safe

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Getting a haircut during the coronavirus pandemic can be difficult, but a Charlottesville salon is making sure clients feel safe outside.

“You can pamper yourself in a safe way,” HairSmith and CO founder Megan Smith-Watson said.

HairSmith and CO opened in Charlottesville two years ago. Smith-Watson says she moved her salon to a bigger space in March just as the COVID-19 took hold in the U.S.

“It’s not sad. It’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be right now,” Smith-Watson said.

Smith-Watson says she was forced to shut her doors within two weeks of opening. It wasn’t until May when she welcomed customers with mask wearing and hand washing required.

The HairSmith team also got creative and transformed the patio into an outdoor salon.

“We have been getting a lot of requests for outdoor haircuts, and we had this great space and we knew that we could make it,” Smith-Watson said. “Hairdressers pivot all the time, it’s just in our DNA, it’s what we do. We’ve always done things in an innovative way.”

Hairstylist Claibourne Nesmith has been cutting hair for 14 years. She never thought an outdoor haircut would be necessary to prevent the spread of a virus.

“When I worked in D.C., we had an outdoor space where we would take loud children and that was it,” Nesmith said.

Now, Nesmith says the outdoor spaces takes on a larger meaning of comfort for clients.

“When you think about the risks when it comes to getting a haircut it doesn’t seem worth it, but if all of a sudden you can offer a solution by being outside I think they’re super appreciative,” Nesmith said.

“It’s safe because of the work that we’re doing to make it safe,” Smith-Watson said.

Smith-Watson says the extra precautions taken by staff are working to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Her goal for the rest of 2020 is to keep her doors open.

Copyright 2020 WVIR. All rights reserved.