SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – While hair salons and barbershops are now allowed to resume haircuts outdoors across the state, shop owners in cities like San Francisco and Oakland say it won’t benefit them.
Veer & Wander Salon in San Francisco, which is South of Market Street, says outdoor haircuts aren’t realistic because of sanitation, safety and limited space issues.
Hair salons across the state have given the green light to resume hair services outdoors but many salon owners in San Francisco say it’s not realistic.
Veer & Wander owner, Connie McGrath, posted on social media explaining that operating a business in the streets of San Francisco has many implications.
“The state of our streets and cities, I mean not only just with COVID but even in a regular normal situation I wouldn’t even set up anything outside,” McGrath said. “Who wants to sit among the homeless, the drug addicts and the trash?”
She also says moving business outdoors isn’t an option for many salon owners because of limited space and safety issues, not to mention the wind and fog.
Now many clients in the city are asking for in-home haircuts or going elsewhere.
“I think that it’s an issue already like San Mateo county is opening but San Francisco isn’t so clients are going over county lines to get their hair done and this has been happening since Napa was open,” McGrath said.
And in the East Bay, stylists and salon owners protested outside the Alameda County Health Department in Oakland on Wednesday saying outdoor haircuts benefit some, but not all.
Many are hoping to work with leaders on a way to open safely indoors.
“I just think that we have to face the facts that it’s all or nothing and we need to open with these strict guidelines that we already know need to take place,” McGrath said.
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