Nail Salons, Lifeline for Immigrants, Have Lost Half Their Business

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NEW YORK -- On most days, Juyoung Lee is the only person inside Beverly Nail Studio, the salon that she owns in Flushing, Queens. It is often eerily quiet, and when no customers come by, Lee at times sits at her work station and weeps.'Maybe, just maybe, tomorrow will be busy,' she said. 'I'm waiting.'Like nail salons across New York City, her business had to close when the pandemic hit in March. There was a brief surge in demand after the lockdown was lifted in July, but then appointments started dwindling. Often, customers requested cheaper services. Now, they hardly come at all.Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York TimesThe beauty industry in the city seemed well positioned to bounce back after restrictions ended. After all, many customers had spent months without professional grooming. But now, many of these businesses are on the verge of collapse -- a drastic hit for an industry that is an economic engine for immigrant women.Some nail salons have had a difficult time persuading customers that it is safe to come in. Others, especially those in Manhattan business districts, have yet to see regular customers come back because many of them had left the city or are working from home.With 26 years of nail salon experience and 20 years of savings poured into her own business, Lee, 53, said there was nothing else that she can imagine doing. But she's barely staying afloat.'Even though it was hard before, I was always able to pay the bills. But now, no matter how hard I work, I make no money,' she said.Nail salon visits in the state have dropped by more than 50%, and sales have fallen by more than 40%, according to an October survey of 161 salon owners conducted by the Nail Industry Federation of New York.The New York Nail Salon Workers Association, an advocacy group affiliated with the union Workers United, said less than half of 594 workers surveyed had returned to work as of August. In New York City, there were 4,240 nail salons in 2016, according to t