Inverness barbershop owner backs off plan to defy state business shutdown

An owner of The Male Room barbershop in the Inverness Corners shopping center today backed off his plan to defy a state health order and reopen his shop, but only under threat of losing his business license.

Scott Farr, president and partner of the company that owns The Male Room, had planned to reopen this morning at 10 a.m. after being closed for five weeks due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

But Farr this morning, speaking to reporters outside his shop at 10 a.m., said he was told by Hoover officials that if he reopened now, he risked losing his business license and the people who cut hair there risked losing their licenses.

Also, he said police told him both his customers and staff would be at risk of fines, and he was told by his landlord he could lose his lease if he violated the state health order, he said.

Farr said he agreed not to reopen yet but is concerned about losing his business anyway because he’s not getting any income. He said he has about 30 days of capital left and has not yet been approved for the Paycheck Protection Program created by Congress to provide relief for business owners and workers.

“We learned yesterday that fund is dried up, and we worked through three sources trying to find funding,” he said.

It disturbs him that some representatives in Congress are blocking and slowing down efforts to add another $250 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, he said.

“Quit playing political football with this crap,” Farr said. “Get to work, and get this done.”

It’s not so much about the haircuts as it is people’s right to work, Farr said. “All these people, this is their livelihood,” he said, noting his shop employs 12 people.

Devin Pender, Farr’s daughter and manager of The Male Room, said it’s not just about them either. They’re standing up for all the people deemed non-essential workers, Pender said.

Amey Key, one of the women who cut hair at The Male Room, said a lot of people in their industry are single mothers and really struggling right now.

Farr said he understands the concerns about spreading COVID-19. “The concerns are valid. The infection is real,” he said. “We’re not diminishing the risk, but we can’t close the country, waiting for this thing to die down.”

Barbershops and hair salons have the ability to operate with practices that mitigate the risks, such as everyone wearing masks, maintaining 6 feet between customers and keeping everything sterile and sanitized, he said. He was planning to limit the number of customers inside his shop at one time, he said.

Farr said Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato and U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, a Hoover resident, both told him they would share his concerns at the highest levels of government so that businesses can open as soon and as safely as possible. Palmer and his fellow Alabama members of the U.S. House of Representatives each are heading up working groups to address the concerns of small businesses in their districts and will be working with the governor to put together a plan to reopen businesses.

Brocato said he never said anything to Farr about losing his business license with the city. He personally visited Farr Thursday and told him he wanted to work with him and advocate for him, he said. He said he told him it would be easier to do that if Farr worked within the law.

"I was there to help him," Brocato said. "It's important that we listen to the businesses."

Brocato said Farr was still planning to reopen as early as this morning, but he arranged a joint phone call with Farr and Palmer to talk through the issues. Farr eventually decided to remain closed for now.

Farr said he knows getting back to normal will be a slow process, “but we have to turn the faucet back on at some point … The longer we wait, the tougher it’s going to be.”

He appreciates the outpouring of support he has received since announcing he planned to reopen, he said. “We’ve gotten people from Australia, all over the country, all over Canada, Europe” showing support, he said.

Several men stood in the parking lot of Inverness Corners this morning, with signs showing support for The Male Room and calling for government leaders to allow barbershops and hair salons to resume business.

“We know how to sterilize our equipment,” said Demetrius Starks, who owns Dee’s Barbershop in Five Points West in Birmingham. “People went to school for this. People need to be able to pay their bills. It’s not fair. These people are professionals. They know how to put on their masks.”

This article was updated at 4 p.m. with comments from Mayor Frank Brocato.