Leah Ingram Eagle
The Male Room
The Male Room
An Inverness barbershop is planning to open its doors on Friday, even though it is classified as a non-essential business and will be going against the state’s order.
In a lengthy Facebook post Tuesday evening, Scott Farr, president and partner of Ervin Farr Inc., the corporate entity that owns The Male Room, said he takes full responsibility for this decision.
As of Thursday, the post had over 800 comments, with mix of criticism and praise. The post has been shared over 200 times.
“We are making this difficult decision because not doing so ensures the business will fail,” Farr wrote. “I cannot in good conscience stand by and voluntarily forgo a business that many people have worked so hard to build and maintain.”
In March, the state health officer ordered non-essential businesses to close. However, in the post, Farr said he is left “with no other choice.”
“While we are extremely sensitive to the serious implications of the virus, we are nonetheless faced with an equally serious dilemma regarding the future viability of our business,” Farr wrote. “This dilemma extends to our employees and service providers as well. Workers and businesses must have income to survive.”
The Male Room and staff have applied for programs to help during this time, but have not yet received any.
“While this relief may eventually find its way to us, we are left with no other choice than to reopen for business now," Farr wrote. "So, given the circumstances The Male Room will reopen for business on Friday, April 17, at 10 a.m.”
The post listed things that management and staff would do to minimize risk to customers and staff. They will only offer limited services (including haircuts and neck shaves) by appointment only. Clients are to wait in their vehicle until their appointment time and will be sent a text when they can enter the building.
To comply with social distancing, only four staff members will be present in the shop, and no more than 10 people will be inside the building at once, Carr wrote. Stylists will wear face shields and thoroughly sanitize stations between each appointment. Transactions will be credit card only and done through a self-checkout process.
“We realize that to some this will be a controversial action, and it is not one that we have taken lightly,” Farr said. “The health and safety of staff and customers are of utmost importance.”
Farr said that although The Male Room is not essential, the income of which the business has been deprived by governmental mandates is essential to its staff and their families.
Employees will be given a choice about returning to work, and "there will be no negative ramifications for electing to stay at home,” Farr wrote. "Some have already stated they are not comfortable returning to work at this point, and they are free to return once they are comfortable doing so.”
Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis said police understand that businesses are eager to reopen, but the state health officer’s order specifically says close-contact service providers such as barbershops and nail salons must be closed right now.
Derzis declined to say exactly what Hoover police would do if The Male Room barbershop opens. “I don’t want to play our hand, but we’ll take some sort of enforcement action if it’s open,” he said.
Police officers are the enforcement leg of that order, and “the bottom line is we will continue to enforce those orders,” Derzis said.
The first two days of operation will be April 17 and 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Carr said. Beginning Monday, April 20, The Male Room will be open those same hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he said.
Efforts to reach the owners for further comment were unsuccessful.
Hoover Sun Community Editor Jon Anderson contributed to this report.
