Northville Salon Takes Precautions Ahead Of June 15 Reopening

NORTHVILLE, MI —Alpesh Trivedi's My Salon Suite in Northville was one of hundreds of personal care facilities in Michigan to temporarily close this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. And as with hundreds of those facilities, Trivedi's salon will be able to reopen June 15.

Until then, he's doing everything he can to ensure his salon is safe for both customers as well as the 30 stylists who work out of suites inside the building.

"Safety was a No. 1 priority for me," Trivedi said Monday. "It (the pandemic) just came out of nowhere and I think we did the best we could in the situation."

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Michigan barbershops and salons were closed in the early part of March after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer began to order the closure of non-essential businesses to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The move preceded the governor's stay-home order and was met with instant criticism, but the tactic seemed to help. The number of new coronavirus cases reported daily has trended downward in recent weeks. As a result, the state — which has reported nearly 59,000 coronavirus cases and 5,500 deaths due to the virus as of Monday — has started to reopen parts of its economy.

On Monday, people were able to dine at their favorite restaurants and bars for the first time in months. On Wednesday, more businesses will be able to open, including movie theaters and bowling alleys. On June 15, barber shops and salons will be added to the list.

Some barbers refused to follow the order and remained open. Karl Manke's barbershop in Owosso stayed open, leading to a nauseating back-and-forth between Manke and state officials, who eventually revoked his license.

But for Trivedi, who has owned the Northville My Salon Suite for three years, there was no question about staying closed. People — both customers and stylists — were understanding of the situation, he said.

"They (stylists) were feeling very confident (about sanitizing to avoid the spread of the virus), but once the governor mandated the shutdown, everybody followed the law," Trivedi said. "It's a law at that point and I didn't have any backlash from nobody.

"Toward the end of May, early June, people were really anxious to get back. That's the word I would use."

Trivedi said he has benefited from having a solid supporting cast behind him. MY SALON Suite, which is a franchise with more than 100 locations across North America, has been in touch with franchisees like Trivedi on what steps to take. They've provided check lists and daily protocols for stylists to take to ensure their suites are sanitized.

Some measures, such as social distancing, are easier because of the suite-style the stylists work in. Many others have already been employed since before the outbreak, Trivedi said.

"These are licensed professionals so they have already disciplined requirements for hygiene and cleanliness anyway," he said. "Now, with the COVID, there are a few more things."

Trivedi said stylists will only take one client at a time, and if someone arrives early for their appointment they will be asked to stay in their vehicle in order to avoid having too many people within a suite.

Stylists also will take the temperature of guests, and if they have a fever they will be asked to reschedule. Trivedi said he thinks some of the measures will become the "new normal."

"People are just being cautious, I think," he said. "Coming back is not easy. I think almost everybody knows someone who is affected by this virus, so it's very important to be careful coming back. "

As with many small businesses, Trivedi said his salon was impacted economically by the shutdown. He said with government assistance, businesses for the most part fared well.

"This past three months was like a pause, if you will," he said. "It was not a loss in a way that money was lost, but there was no income and there was no revenue. Personally, I feel like it was the best response that we as a community did. Everybody stayed safe, and that was most important, I think.

"To sum it up, in my opinion, if we stay alive, this year we are profitable."