Surviving the Pandemic of 2020 - Part 1

CoVid19 is Changing the World

What to Expect Once the Barber Shop Opens Again

A brief history of how we got here.

A few months ago, the barber shop was a busy place. Gentlemen would congregate in the shop, hang out to chat with other men, play games, drink coffee, and of course get haircuts, beard trims, and shaves.

Life in the Shop - PrePandemic

In January, the death of Mr. Peanut was big news in Wilkes-Barre. Planters aired a commercial depicting the demise of Mr. Peanut. A couple of television stations stopped by the barber shop to talk about Mr. Peanut, his life, and his purported death.

However, all the while we went on with our regular lives, something was brewing. The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (CoVid19) started making its way around the globe late last year. By December, it was prevalent in Asia and Europe. On January 20th, 2020, the first case of CoVId19 was reported in the United States; but here at the barber shop, we were concerned with just one thing. The death of Mr. Peanut. The Mr. Peanut story from the barber shop aired on WNEP (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) on January 22nd and on WFMZ (Allentown) on January 23rd.

Throughout February and into March, we all continued with our lives. All the while we heard more and more about CoVid19. The initial stories claimed it was like another flu. We heard “Don’t panic; but wash your hands.”  We continued going out to eat; gather with family; the Mr. Peanut craze died down; sporting events continued; and people came in for haircuts and shaves. I even found time to act in a play.

By early March, it was clear that CoVid19 was not just an ordinary flu. The first cases of CoVid19 were reported in Pennsylvania on March 6th. Governor Wolf issued orders to shut down schools and parks effective March 13th and all non-life sustaining business had to close as of March 19th. This order included the barber shop. I posted signs; shut out the lights; and locked the door. Even now, it is not clear how long the barbershop will remain shut down.

What’s Happening at the Barber Shop during the Shutdown?

Before I had much time to consider what was happening, a couple of friends and customers called to ask what they might do to help. They wanted to know if they could purchase some haircuts in advance.  This gave me an idea. I created a program where customers could prepay for haircuts (services). I posted the program in social media, and many of you called to purchase loyalty cards.  The well wishes I have received from so many people has truly lifted my spirits. The outpouring of support has truly been a blessing.  As the pandemic has continued longer than expected, I temporarily halted Loyalty Program sales as we have well over fifty members.  The program shall be open again once we have a better sense of the duration of the lock down.

I have also taken some time to give the barber shop a thorough cleaning.  I started by emptying the shop of all equipment and I removed all the decorations and pictures from the wall. 

Empty Shop

The back room took upon the appearance of an antique store with all the shop furniture stored in the back room.  More on the back room in a bit.

After dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, scrubbing, and sanitizing, the effort to put everything back into the shop allowed me an opportunity to move many things around.  Various furniture items were moved and many of the pictures hung in different locations.  I also used this as an opportunity to add some new items to the shop.

Two new items in the shop are incredibly special.  The first item was presented to me after a local church closed.  St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church closed late last year.  One of the members gave me an old hymn board.  I have repurposed this to be the barber shop’s pricing board.  The second item is just as special.  My niece, Lauren, commissioned a map of the city of Wilkes-Barre.  She had it printed poster size and sent it to me for the barber shop.  When I received this item, I was completely surprised and touched that she would think of me in this way.  To make it even more special, she used this as an opportunity to send some business to a business local to her in Florida.  I will forever cherish these items.

Family Needs and Time Away

As the pandemic wore on into a second month, it started to seem like there was no end in sight. Many of you may not know; but my wife was in Virginia providing much needed child care for our grand children. Our son and daughter in-law both have essential jobs; but they lost their day care due to the pandemic. My wife was the perfect choice to take care of the little ones. She also managed to spend a few days with our other granddaughter in southeast Pa. I also managed to spend two weeks in Virginia helping the family move.

Transformation of the Back Room

Although it was wonderful spending time with family, it is difficult being away. There are bills to pay and even though the shop is closed, there’s still work that needs to be done.

It became clear while I was away that if the shop were to survive, I’d have to make more changes and find a way to cover the bills. Given that everything must be wiped down after anyone touches something, I decided that I can no longer offer games such as pool, air hockey, and foosball.

I have cleared out the back room. I now looks similar to how it did when the shop opened five years ago.

More to come …

In Part 2, you’ll learn about my daughter’s effort to help by selling Barber Shop T-Shirts; The new appointment scheduling page; sanitation procedures; and hopefully some insight when Pennsylvania plans to go Green.