CHICAGO _ There's about 1,200 signatures on the walls inside Razor Red barbershop.
It's lined with the names of former Bulls players such as Scottie Pippen, Taj Gibson and Dwyane Wade; ex-Bears like Matt Forte and David Terrell; and those just passing through town for sporting events, with Kansas coach Bill Self or Celtics forward Enes Kanter as examples.
Current Bulls often stop by to get haircuts, from assistant coach Roy Rogers, team training staff members and players like Zach LaVine, Chandler Hutchison and Wendell Carter Jr.
But the windows of the shop were boarded up last week when its owner, Terrance Wills, was forced to shut down after Chicago's stay-at-home order went into effect, closing non-essential businesses. It's where barbershops and salons across the country find themselves amid the uncertainty of a global pandemic, which has left them wondering when, and for some if, they will be able to reopen.
"It was a stressful feeling," Wills said. "Because a lot of my employees were expecting me to stay open."
Wills had anticipated the day could be coming as the virus began spreading across the globe.
He started taking precautions at the beginning of the month: placing hand sanitizer at each barber station, limiting the number of people allowed in the shop and respecting the rules of social distancing.
"All my barber buddies, they shut down," Wills said. "We do up close and personal business. I'm on you when I'm cutting your hair. I can smell your breath."
The clients who visit the shop, which is a little over a mile away from the United Center, ranged from walk-ins looking to take advantage of the $5 special for kids on Saturday mornings to current Bulls who prefer coming to the shop. Wills also swings by the United Center before games or to the Advocate Center, where he has a barber station set up at the team's practice facility.
In some ways, his business leaned on the business of basketball. He developed relationships with agencies CAA and Priority Sports and helped take care of their players. In fact, Wills' summer is even busier than the regular season, he estimates. Wills can count on athletes visiting town in the summer for events like the NBA combine and other games and tournaments, most of which have already been cancelled or seem almost certain to be in the near future.
"It hit me instantly," Wills said. "I knew it. If they have to shut down the NBA and they're making the players stay home, that's a big part of my money that I depend on.
"We're making sure those guys stay good for travel or for home and road games. You got to look good when you play. When you look good, you play good."
Wills started his career cutting the hair of former NBA player and Chicago native Jannero Pargo, who connected Wills with Joe Johnson when the two played together at Arkansas.
Wills went on the road with Johnson for several years during his tenure with the Hawks, where he made more connections around the league but always kept in touch with people back in Chicago. He stopped by the Bulls former practice facility at the Berto Center in Deerfield about once a month when he came back to town.
"This is my hometown," said Wills, who was born in Rockwell Gardens on the city's West side. "I knew when that's all over with, putting my name out in the NBA, I knew eventually I wanted to come back home."
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The pandemic has forced Wills to spend most of his days at home looking after his five children while his wife, Ashunti, who works at a local hotel, shuttles back and forth. He's trying to provide a semblance of schedule for children who have had their lives upended by this unforgiving virus.
The current shelter-in-place order extends until at least April 7, and Wills knows his business can survive until then. But he's already started brainstorming alternatives to make money, should his shop still be closed in the next few weeks. He considered whether house calls would be safe. And he's even thought about applying to be an Uber driver.
Wills keeps in contact with his staff daily, sending text messages offering words of encouragement. He did acknowledge that spirits are pretty low because they're all playing the waiting game, hopeful their lives and the sports world can return to some semblance of normalcy soon.
"I've got some savings. I'm going to use my resources to try and stay afloat and make sure I'm ok, but I got to activate my plan B," Wills said with a laugh. "For now I'm just chilling.
"I want to see what's going on. I'm going to know then what I'm going to do. For now I'm totally shutdown, but I don't know how long I can do that."
