Runs Businesses With Scissors

Hairqueen News Sitting not standing for now Here we go again, we are in another shut down ordered by the County of Alameda Public Health Department, for more information click here:  https://acphd.org If you have an appointment with me this month I have or I will contact you. We received the news earlier this week and  I needed a day or two to grapple with this latest set back for the salon  industry.   With rising cases and hospitals at risk of being overrun I understand the need for all of us to reduce our footprint and stay home. I appreciate your tremendous patronage and support especially this past year. We will open again in 2021. Stay healthy and safe and care for one another.   To book future appointments, purchase products or gift cards:  https://www.vagaro.com/us02/suzannevanhouten Visit this site again soon and I will be posting some of the before and afters I created during the time that I was re-opened.  Here's a couple of sneak peeks...

Hairqueen News Returning to the Salon It can be nerve racking to return to the salon, you want to feel safe as you get your haircut and or colored.  I want you to feel safe and we are all in this together.   And as I post this  Alameda County is moving back into the purple tier on 11/18/20, salons will remain open with the restrictions listed below. These are the Covid-19 guidelines for Salons from the Alameda Public County Health Department Website, updated on October 7 2020. Implement safety measures for clients, including: 3.3.1. Clients must wear face coverings that attach with ear-loops in order to avoid interfering with services. 3.3.2. Provide a clean smock or cape for each client. 3.3.3. If appropriate for the service, ask clients to come to their appointments with freshly cleaned hair to minimize appointment time. 3.3.4. Consider temporarily eliminating services that require lengthy time of blow-drying. 3.3.5. Hair and barber service providers must not...

PPE Ready And Good To Go Open At Last Dear Clients and Friends, You are on my mind as I navigate returning to my business after being closed for  six months. It is a lot to process. Every week for the past 24 weeks I have paid attention to what I can do in order to be prepared to reopen, to advocate for reopening, to apply for funding to keep Swans Studios solvent and to do my best to keep you informed. Now I am open. Please know I am doing what I can to accommodate you.   Please be patient.   This is a new normal and we will get through this together. In order to have the best practices for health and safety here is what you may expect going forward. Please text 510-545-2955 when you arrive and I will let you know when you can come in Our lobby is closed  Please wear a mask Please be prepared for a temperature check and to sanitize you hands upon arrival Please be prepared to review your signed waiver Only bring with you the bare minimum or w...

We Wait  Dear Clients and Friends, We wait.  I miss you, I am doing all I can to return to my business and you. See you soon! The State has approved indoor hair services the County has not. As soon as I have the green light I will open my door and reopen my appointment book.  In the meantime if you have an up coming appointment I will contact you. Once we reopen it will be a new normal - You will arrive with hair freshly shampooed for a haircut service Masks on at all times Temperature check upon arrival Hand sanitation upon arrival Bring only what you need with you No blowdrying Touch less payments All high touch services, implements and tools will be sanitized prior and following all services I have talked with some of you and I hear your concerns and about health and safety.  I am PPE ready.  A big part of the Cosmetology Exam is Sanitation.  And like you I am cautious about my own health and safety.  We will work together for our combined health, s...

  Dear Clients and Friends, I worried so much about taking a month of this summer to celebrate turning sixty, little did I know that my business would be closed for over five months and that I would become an expert on all things financial from grants to loans and gifts and more. I did not go away for a month but I did go away for five glorious days for my birthday.   I soaked in the sun, the ocean breeze and set aside my worry for a brief while. Now I am home and back to advocating for getting salons open in California. On Tuesday August 11, I joined a rally at the State Capitol.   Salon professionals came from far and wide to rally togeth er.   Click here to see the press coverage. There are rallies almost daily now, all over the state. On Monday August 17, salons   will   open for one day in protest and I will join the movement. Following August 17, I do not know what will happen but I do know that I am fed up and ready to return to work. Of course, wit...

Dear Clients and Friends, You may have heard Governor Gavin Newson is allowing salons to operate outside. (If not, you can read the news story here ).  I have grappled with how to respond to this. It is a step in the right direction.   Yet i t is complicated to implement to ensure the best results of health, security and safety for all. Myself and many others in my industry are not in favor of this idea. Why are we not in favor? We are licensed professionals and must pass the sanitation portion of our State Board in order to be licensed. We have invested in the appropriate Covid-19 PPE in order to open safely. Working outside is unpredictable at best, given locations, security, weather and more. This guideline only allows haircuts, no shampooing, no hair color or blow drying. Following the news I was at my wits end, angry and fed up. I am ready to open, you need a haircut.  I needed a minute and now I am back to doing what I can to advocate for the Professional Salon I...

Dear Clients and Friends, I have not been busy with hair or coaching. I have been busy advocating for the beauty industry in Alameda County by: Calling the Covid Recovery Line Emailing the Covid Recovery Department Protesting outside the Alameda County Public Health Department Offices  Calling KQED ( listen here to the show - I call in at the 44:10 mark) Reaching out to industry friends Keeping in touch with clients Remembering to breathe I thank you profusely for your generous support. I know many of you have called and emailed as well. If you would like to advocate once more on our behalf here is the information: Covid Recovery Email -  covidrecovery@acgov.org Covid Recovery Phone Number - 510-268-2101 #2 Let the Alameda Public Health Department know that you trust -  The salon industries ability to open in a safe and sanitary manner Ask that they give Alameda County Salons the same opening plan as neighboring counties That you need a haircut! There are days and...

Dear Clients and Friends, Once again we appeal to you for help! Update:   Myself and Diane Zelaya, my colleague at Swans Studios spoke with a contact at the Alameda County Public Health Department, ACPHD  to request consideration for our own criteria for Salons and Barber Shops; or to be considered as part of phase three or four of the Alameda County re-opening plan. We have the California Cosmetology Association working with us on getting the word out to the Association Industry Members. How can you help? Contact the ACPHD via phone and or email and request that they allow Cosmetologists and Barbers to return to work. Here are some bullet points to share with the ACPHD. The Beauty Industry asks for our own criteria or to be considered the same as businesses in phases three and four, a phase that includes personal services.  The Beauty Industry is currently in Phase Five, (In door Dining, Pro Sports without fans and pools.)  This category does not reflect our profes...

Dear Clients and Friends, Please help. In Alameda County my industry has been extremely hard hit by Covid-19.   On Monday June 29 I spoke with both the Alameda County Public Health Department, ACPHD and the Profe ssional Beauty Association, PBA .   Both of these organizations confirmed the complex challenges that hairstylists, barbers, manicurists and estheticians are facing as we approach four months of being closed. Technicians want and need to work, clients want and need services.   It is no surprise that the underground, back yard, secret salon services exist and are increasing in numbers. Most salon owners and technicians, including myself, refuse to participate in the aforementioned scenario, however, we do understand the necessity for some of making money during a time like this.   Sadly many technicians do not have resources or documentation to qualify for resources.   Also many salons operated on an extremely small profit margin at best. How can you hel...

Dear Clients and Friends,   Thank you for your patience and understanding during this unprecedented time in our lives. I, like you, am anxious to return to my routines.   I am also incredibly cognizant of the recent events in the country and cannot in good conscience ignore how devastating the murder of George Floyd has been to the black community.   I am safe and my home and salon are safe.   LaTasha and Diane are safe.   We are grateful to have each other. We continue to love and support each other during Covid-19’s impact on our businesses and the countries unrest. Governor Gavin Newsom delivered the news that hair salons can open in some counties in California however, Alameda County is not included in this current phase of reopening. There is one more phase before we will be allowed to reopen. You can read more about the various phases for Alameda County here .   If you have a June appointment I will contact you to postpone it ...

Hairqueen News I went into shock on March 17 when my vibrant business, like so many, was closed until further notice due to Covid-19. I have been self-employed for most of my career and a business owner since 1995. I suspect you would believe me if I said I've been through a thing or two as a business owner and even on the darkest days, my entrepreneurial spirit has guided me along the way. After the initial shock was over I settled into a new routine and found ways to be productive. My days have and still do include: Taking time everyday to work on my business instead of in my business Updating my website Updating my booking system Contacting each one of my wonderful clients to postpone their appointments more than once due to the closure Created an online store Applying for disaster relief, PPP and DUI  Coached a mum how to bleach and tone her son's hair Created personal hair color kits for hair color clients Posts on social media with the help of my tr...

Hairqueen Musings These are not normal times, many are baking bread and gardening. I have written a few poems that came to me in the beginning of SIP, when we were all grappling with the SIP order and I could barely sleep.   If I didn't already have grey hair I think the shock of shutting down overnight might have given me more than a strand or two. Here's a poem with little bit of truth from what I know about grey hair from both sides of the chair. The life we are living is different today than we could have ever imagined. Yet it is the life we have lived that gives us the wisdom and strength to carry on. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of my clients as we have connected over these past weeks to postponed appointments.   I have appreciated connecting with my fellow salon industry friends and discussing how we are doing during SIP.  We wonder how we it will be as we return to our businesses with new practices in place for everyone's heal...