Véronique Beaupré, owner of Local B in Montreal

Living the wait : “Throughout the closure, I organized a weekly Zoom meeting with my entire team to keep them informed of what was in the works. Before reopening, there was a big organization and test meeting in the salon. All employees followed an online training offered by Personal Care Quebec with a microbiologist who explains how to protect themselves and their customers.”

Opening your doors : “With the protective equipment and cleaning protocols, it’s like opening a new salon that looks like a medical clinic! When we started calling back clients, the receptionists were over the moon. People were screaming into the phone because they were so happy. When they visited, they were much less stressed than I had feared.”

What has changed : “Before, our hairdressers were booked wall to wall from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Now, we take more time with clients and between appointments. I encourage my employees to get some fresh air, because it’s hard to work with a mask. All this brings a second wind. We are better organized and the majority of employees find pleasure in working in a more methodical way with everything in its place.”

MARCUS VILLENEUVE, OWNER OF CHEZ MARCUS IN QUEBEC

Living the wait : “The first month was good, I rested. I sent bags of coloring to my clients to help them in the meantime. The last few weeks however, the clients were starting to get impatient and so was I!

Opening your doors : “I consider myself lucky. I have a small salon, three employees, and a low rent. By observing what was happening in Europe, I got ahead of the game and ordered plexiglass from a Saguenay company. They are super beautiful, light and subtle. However, I must admit that I have difficulty working with a mask. It’s as if I were working with a wall.”

Doing Véronique Cloutier's hair : "It was hard not to be by her side. On the morning of June 15, I was at her house at dawn to do her hair! That said, COVID created some funny moments when I helped her do her hair or cut Louis' hair from a distance. I wasn't much use, but it made for some really great moments."

What has changed : This crisis has shown how important hairdressers are in people's lives. We are taken more seriously. As an entrepreneur, I will no longer work the same way. I will no longer take things for granted as before. Staying at home while my salon was not operating helped me put things into perspective and love my job even more!

FLORENCE MACREZ, OWNER OF FLO’S BOUDOIR IN SAINT-SAUVEUR

Living the wait : “The wait was unbearable. Not knowing if my business would survive and always having to rack my brains to find solutions, it was complicated and mentally draining. As a French woman who immigrated to Canada only two years ago, I didn’t fit into any of the government aid boxes, so it was even more stressful. My business is still young, I am the only one doing hair and I was a little afraid that the clients wouldn’t come back.”

Opening your doors: “The response has finally been very good. There are a lot of new customers coming. I had to readjust my prices and I haven’t received any criticism for that. People are buying more products than before. It’s working so well that I will soon be able to hire a person like I had planned before COVID.”

What has changed: “I would love to see disinfection measures become the norm in hair salons. It is important to clean tools after each use. I provide training and I realized that this was not always widespread as a protocol.”