Town salons to mark re-opening with 12.01am haircuts

Ronnie Marshall, owner of Byron Hairdressing and Dom Panetta, who runs Migele Experience, have decided to toast coming out of lockdown by picking up their scissors as soon as July 15 begins.

Ronnie explained where he got the idea from: “We are opening on Wednesday, July 15 from 7am to 9pm but I thought why not celebrate re-opening by doing the first haircut at a minute past midnight on the day?

"I have a client who is a friend and I thought why don’t I do his haircut then, which suited him.

“The salon has been closed for four months which is the longest period of time that I haven’t worked and I just thought it would be a great idea to mark the re-opening by giving a client a cut and style, the full salon experience. I am really excited to be getting back to work and welcoming our clients back.”

Ronnie said he is fully booked on July 15 and also has a waiting list for people who are looking for appointments.

Ronnie’s friend and fellow salon owner Dom Panetta will also be marking the occasion by doing the same thing.

Dom said: “In the early stages of lockdown, Ronnie and I started to meet up and supported each other as we prepared to re-open our businesses.

"So when Ronnie mentioned his idea it seemed the perfect celebration to get back into business. I haven’t chosen my model yet but, it will be a haircut.

“On the Wednesday morning I will be doing my first client at 7.30 am so it’s going to be a long day but a great one. In our profession our clients are dear and valued friends and I can’t wait to welcome them back again albeit in a different environment but we still hope to have fun whilst being professional.”

Louise Linton, who has her own salon in Commercial Street, Kirkcaldy, is also looking forward to re-opening. She said: “I am extremely excited and slightly nervous but this is only normal considering the length of time I have been away from my work and all the extensive measures from the government to allow everyone to be safe in my salon.

"One thing is for sure, I will be delighted to get back to some sort of normality being to see all my lovely customers who I missed so much.

"Due to the high demand I will be working 6/7 days a week including longer hours to suits the needs of my clients.

"The other reason for this, is due to the amount of extra work involving keeping my salon/workspaces clean and safe as per government guidelines. The fact that I have had to honour appointments from March 24 (when lockdown started) means that I am unavailable until September.”

Other local salons looking forward to re-opening next week are Vi.Vacious, based in Factory Road, Kirkcaldy and Revive in Cardenden.Vi.Vacious, which offers hair and beauty treatments, is owned by Samena Safdar and Stacey Mullen and opened just over a year ago.

Stacey said: “We are very excited to return to work and see our clients again. We have completed a covid-19 barbicide course to make sure we keep everyone safe.

"But we are excited to have some normality back and let our clients see the salon makeover and the changes we have made.”

Stacey revealed she has revamped the shop including taking a wall down to create more space and moving the hairdressing part of the business to the back of the salon.

They also have hand sanitisers put in as well as PPE in place for staff and clients.

She added they will be working longer hours to accommodate clients as best they can.

Clare Mitchell, who owns Revive Hair and Beauty in Cardenden, said she has had to make changes within her salon to comply with new guidelines.

She said: “I have taken one of my hair stations away this allows the rest of my stations and my reception desk all have a two metre distance.

"I have disposable PPE for both myself and my clients. Clients will be asked to allow more time for their appointments so the salon can be as sterile as possible throughout their treatment. I am looking forward to returning to work to welcome back all my clients.”

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