Since closing the California hair salon she runs with her brother almost two months ago, Margeaux Hamrock has found herself in an unfamiliar situation.
Hamrock said she received the $1,200 stimulus check provided to all Americans who make up to $75,000 per year under the CARES Act, as well as a $1,000 Small Business Administration grant for the salon. But that's it.Hamrock applied for California's new pandemic assistance program for business owners and independent contractors like herself who don't qualify for normal unemployment but hasn't received any money through that yet.
Reopening during the pandemic means fewer stylists can work at the same time and serve fewer clients each day. Salons' overhead costs will also increase due to the added expense of acquiring masks and other supplies they need to create the safest workplace possible. So Ortiz-Olivieri, the DC salon owner, organized an April 29 call on Zoom with the Hamrocks and other stylists to talk about ideas about how to reopen in the safest way possible.