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BROOKLYN WEEKLY, MARCH 29, 2020
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
From close shaves to closed
doors.
Workers at Brooklyn’s barber
shops, tattoo parlors, and nail salons
face an uncertain future after
Governor Andrew announced
mandatory closures to help contain
the spread of the novel coronavirus..
“These temporary closures are
not going to be easy, but they are
necessary to protect the public
health,” the governor said.
Shops deemed “non-essential”
across New York — as well as the
rest of the tri-state area — had to
close their doors to patrons by 8 pm
on March 21, assuring a major economic
hit to small businesses at a
particularly devastating time, said
one Crown Heights piercer.
“Around this time is usually
our best time. Because of tax season,
everybody has a little more
money to spend on piercings and
tattoos,” said Alex Paez, who works
at Gothic City Ink on Union Street.
The forced closures come after
an uncertain fi nal work week,
where customers had been canceling
their ink and pierce jobs and
opting to spend money on essentials
like food and medicine instead,
according to Paez.
One Park Slope barber said that
he’d had fewer customers overall in
the fi nal weeks, as the virus began
to spred — although some forwardthinking
people had come in for
last-minute shape-ups.
“We had some people on March
19 who said they wouldn’t know
when they can get a haircut again,”
said Serj Yu, a manager at Elegant
Barber on Seventh Avenue.
Yu said that the shop remain ed
open until the evening before the
ban to attract as much business as
possible, but he understands the
imperative to close businesses during
this peculiar situation.
“I understand people being cautious
so there’s really nobody to
blame,” he said. “It’s a worldwide
situation and there’s nothing we
can do.”
When reached for comment in
the days leading up to the closures,
dozens of businesses across the borough
did not answer their phones
— and many had voice messages
informing customers that they’d
proactivley closed.
And while businesses will be
closed, demand from customers
continues, according to the owner
of a Kings Highway nail studio —
who said they’ve still been getting
a half a dozen would-be customers
each day before the forced quarantine
calling for manicures and
pedicures, despite having closed
up shop the week before.
“We’ve been getting calls but
we’ve been turning them down,”
said the owner who only gave her
name as Rita, and whose daughter
translated from Chinese for her.
“We were just scared and we didn’t
want to put ourselves at risk.”
Alex Paez had to close his tattoo shop after authorities shuttered non-essential
industries. Photo by Kevin Duggan
CORONA CUTS
Barber shops, tattoo parlors, nail salons shutdown
BY JESSICA PARKS
Marine Park Hardware Corporation
has always stocked its
shelves with Michael’s of Brooklyn
tomato sauce, but demand is at
its highest now that the novel coronavirus
has left grocery stores
operating with long lines and limited
supplies.
“We have been selling their
sauce for years now,” said store
owner Greg Borruso, “and now
people are coming to the store just
to buy sauce.”
Not only does the unusual
partnership between the beloved
Avenue S hardware store and the
local Italian mainstay on Avenue
R allow Borrusso to support the
eatery during a hard time, but the
sauce has also increased foot traffi
c at the hardware store.
“As long as people walk
through the door,” he told Brooklyn
Paper. “This is a tough time
for retail right now.”
For the hardware store owner,
who is also very active within the
Marine Park community, it is imperative
for small businesses to
work together to facilitate a thriving
local economy.
“When you are a small business
you need another business to
rely on,” Borruso said. “It’s kind
of like a two-way street when you
are a small business. And you’ll
notice that most small business
owners patronize and have good
relationships with other small
business owners.”
The head of Brooklyn’s biggest
business booster commended the
neighborly act between the two
Marine Park businesses and suggested
others consider following
suit.
“There is a good example of
Marine Park Hardware always sells Michael’s of Brooklyn tomato sauce but demand has been high since the outbreak of
novel coronavirus. Google Maps
a close-knit neighborhood that
knows how to look out for each
other,” said Brooklyn Chamber
of Commerce President and CEO
Randy Peers. “Because I like the
idea so much, we are going to
push it out as a best practice and
encourage commercial strips to
adopt something like that.”
Meanwhile, Borruso plans to
stay open as long as he can, and
encourages patrons to stop by for
a jar of tomato sauce, tools for a
home improvement project or just
some time out of the house.
“We are here to help, and if you
want to come in and talk we are
here to do that, too,” he said.
RIPE FOR BIZ
Shoppers fl ock to Marine Park
hardware store for tomato sauce