Shaggy-haired Northeast Ohioans are running headlong into the barber chair today, the first day that barbershops and salons are allowed to open.
Like thirsty Wisconsinites lining up to belly up to the bar, you brave (?) folks have waited long enough and will not wait one more day to have that unruly mop taken care of by a professional, judging by wait times at Great Clips.
Wait times at Sports Clips were somehow even worse today.
If you were wondering if people in Ohio would rush out to get their hair cut on re-opening day, this screenshot from @SportClips should answer your question. pic.twitter.com/9gLL6Rk1rx
— Scott Noll (@ScottNoll_News) May 15, 2020
These are uneasy times, though, and not all barbershops have chosen to reopen yet as operators and barbers deal with the idea of welcoming customers during the pandemic. It's not just about what DeWine allows. It's about feeling comfortable, from an operator and customer point of view.
So dealing with pent-up demand — every barber we talked to had fielded (and declined) multiple, lucrative offers for black-market cuts during the period when Ohio had shuttered shops — will be just a portion of the adjustment.
The once hyper-social, hyper-intimate affair will now be more transactional, area barbers told Scene last week, but barbers have always complied with strict safety guidelines, and they'll be doing so plus more as butts begin to fill seats.
“The barber industry and the cosmetology industry are very anxious to be able to show the community what we've always done," Alex Quintana told us, "to show them that we can actually protect them and show them that we're still a service that they can come out an patronize."
