Barbershops gladly meeting increased demand during phase 2

Barbershops and salons across the province are continuing cut and style their way through long lines after more than two months away from the job.

The province allowed hairstylists and barbers to return to work as part of phase two of the province’s reopening plan on May 19.

Taylor Maximuik, the assistant manager at Tommy Guns in Stonebridge, said that demand is even greater than staff imagined.

“There was a lot of preparation. Everyone here knew it was going to be a lot, but we didn’t expect people to be lined up over an hour before opening,” she said.

“We were booked up within half an hour.”

Cries for haircuts became a popular problem few could have predicted at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but with lineups out the door at some barbershops, clearly there is a demand for the service.

Part of Tommy Guns policy is to not book appointments more than a day in advance. Maximuik said that didn’t turn many customers away.

“Everyone was just so excited to be back. It doesn’t matter if they could get (a haircut) within an hour or five hours. Everyone was so thankful that we were open,” she said.

Maximuik entered the industry a couple of years ago and quickly found out the pace of the job was fast, but the last week of business wasn’t something she thought she would ever see.

Staff were trying to work as fast as possible all while getting used to new personal protective equipment requirements as laid down by the province.

Each barber wears an apron, a pair of goggles, a face mask and gloves for more personal services like a beard trim.

Maxmuik said every new piece of equipment creates its own hurdles.

“We’re getting new masks soon,” Maximuik said. “These ones are a little tougher to work just because with the goggles we wear it fogs up the goggles. People have their goggles on the tip of their nose trying to be able to see. Clients are really good with it though. They understand that sometimes we have to take a break, take a few breaths and then continue so we can see.”

As far as questionable style and sore haircuts, Maximuik said there’s been a fair amount of people that could use the help of a professional.

“We’ve had lot of people come in being like, ‘Help me. Fix me,'” she said with a laugh.

“I had someone come in today with a bowl cut. He said, ‘I don’t know what happened but I did it.’ I was like, ‘We can fix that.'”

Tommy Guns is still unable to offer straight razor shaves, but is looking to open up more services with the upcoming phases of the province’s reopening plan.