When Covid-19 took a turn for the worse and multiple small businesses in Bloomington had to shut down, many were worried they were going to be closed for good.
While the shutdown only lasted for two months, all small businesses received reassurance that they were going to be allowed to open back up and continue providing for their customers.
Two of those businesses, VIP Nails and Royale Hair Parlor, both located at the corner of N College Ave and 6th Street, were among those mandated to shut down and to follow the CDC guidelines.
Most small businesses have been working in small spaces, which make it hard to follow the CDC guidelines. Each business had to rearrange their facilities to be able to work while following specific new protocols.
“Half of our stylists can work there, and half can work here, and that has opened up the amount of people that can come in. But we are still not at that same rate that we were at before,” Royale Parlor hair stylist Sydney Jaeger said.
Royale Hair Parlor is not the only small business that had to change its business protocols.
Not only are these small local businesses adapting to the new rules, but with winter here, and the risk of spending time indoors, small businesses are nervous about survival especially when out of state students and faculty leave for the break.
“I don’t think we will have that much business, like we have right now,” VIP Nails owner, Nu Bhan said.
Many are scared due to the rising COVID numbers that Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb will mandate another shut-down for all non-essential businesses.
But what are essential businesses? “An essential business is one that provides products or services that people rely on every day or that may be necessary for some during this time period,” said Annie Pilon from Small Business Trends. “Nonessential businesses include those that provide something beyond the basic necessities. They might offer retail goods, entertainment, or general recreation.”
Even though the definition differs from state to state, hair and nail salons are considered non-essential businesses, which worries many salons and their customers and clients.
For more information relating to the CDC guidelines in the state of Indiana, visit the CDC website.