COLUMBIA, S.C. _ Monday was the first day in weeks South Carolinians could get a haircut in a barber shop or salon since the coronavirus pandemic hit. Shops were so busy, it may still be a while before some can get a trim.
Barbers contacted by The State reported long wait times that could push some appointments until later in the week. Other places had voicemail messages directing customers to make an appointment online and take precautions against the spread of the virus.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster ordered the state's barbers to put up their shears on March 31, along with other "nonessential" businesses that were closed to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus. When "close contact" businesses were allowed to reopen this week, many shops were overwhelmed with customers who had not had a haircut in seven weeks or more.
As of Monday afternoon, Joe Michaelis with the Southern Gentleman's Barbering Company in Columbia's Five Points didn't have an opening before Thursday. They're taking customers by appointment only and limiting the number of customers inside the store, where barbers have rearranged themselves to maximize social distancing.
"If we're full when they come in, they'll have to wait outside," Michaelis said. "If a husband and wife show up together, just the client will be able to come in. We're just doing what we think is best under the conditions, to make sure everybody feels comfortable and safe."
At the Black Box Barber Shop on Millwood Avenue, Cordelia Craft was wiping down every seat with disinfectant wipes after each customer was finished. The shop was limiting itself to three customers at a time and didn't have an opening on Monday.
"We won't see as many in a day as we normally do, but we'd rather be safe," Craft said.
Holiday's Barber Shop had some available spots Monday on West Columbia's Meeting Street but alsowas only taking appointments and couldn't have anyone waiting inside the shop.
"We're really trying to keep everything clean," said Holiday's manager Michael Jackson, including disinfecting all equipment between customers and having all their barbers wear masks.
Calls to larger chains like Great Clips and Sports Clips were unsuccessful Monday, but many had messages directing customers to wear masks to their Columbia locations and asking customers to postpone their haircut a little longer if they or a family member had recently been sick. A manager at the Harbison Boulevard Sports Clips who declined to give her name said the shop had been full since it opened Monday morning.
Michaelis said he was also asking customers to wear masks, and his shop is doing temperature checks for customers when they arrive. But those requirements, and the lingering threat of COVID-19, don't seem to be deterring customers in need of a haircut.
Michaelis said he expects business to stay busy for so long that he's moved up plans to open a second location on Sunset Boulevard in Lexington, which he's trying to get ready within the next three weeks.
"I've bumped it up a bit," he said of the opening. "If we have any overflow customers, we can send them there."
