Local businesses adjust to a new normal
Swannanoa Valley businesses make changes as they reopen to the public
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 29, 2020
From left to right: Sarah English Myers, April Tweed, Jennifer Willet and Cheryl Brockmeir, four of the five owners of Bliss Beauty Bar in Black Mountain, meet before the May 25 reopening of their business. Fred McCormick
Phone calls and messages from clients started coming in rapid succession to April Tweed and the four other owners of Bliss Beauty Bar in Black Mountain on May 20, as Governor Roy Cooper announced the state would move forward with the second of its three-phase plan to loosen COVID-19 restrictions, allowing businesses like salons, restaurants and other commercial settings to reopen their doors.
Customers, who hadn’t had access to the services of Bliss since the March 19 order by Buncombe County requiring salons, barber shops, fitness centers and other businesses to close to the public, were looking to book appointments as soon as possible. Tweed and co-owners Jennifer Willet, Sarah English Myers, Amy Robinson and Cheryl Brockmeir, who combined their small salons to form Bliss in September of 2019, were eager to return to work. But, like many small business owners in the Swannanoa Valley, they were heading into uncharted waters.
Before the global pandemic brought economies around the world to a screeching halt, Bliss featured eight licensed beauticians serving an average of around 200 clients per week. The business’s boutique shop, event planning services, and availability as a venue for gatherings brought additional traffic.
That all stopped suddenly when the virus forced much of the country to remain in their homes.
“Here in Buncombe County, we shut down salons six days before the state,” Tweed said. “I had a customer who just sat down in my chair when I got the email saying we had to close at 5 p.m. I remember telling that customer we only had two hours, so we could only do so much. She walked out of here with wet hair and water dripping down her back.”
Though they didn’t realize it at the time, the loss of income would continue for nearly 10 weeks.
“We’ve lost three stylists,” Tweed said, as the owners returned to the shop last week to prepare for the Memorial Day reopening. “A nail tech and two hair stylists left for different reasons, but they would all still be working here if not for COVID.”
As self-employed workers, the staff of Bliss could not qualify for unemployment assistance until the state began accepting applications for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance on April 24.
“That was extremely stressful,” Tweed said. “Many of us were lucky that we had clients that would prepay for later appointments to try to help us out. And, even though our doors were shut, we still owe every bit of the bills that are due. We had all just dissolved our previous businesses in September to open this place.”
As the shutdown lingered for weeks, the owners of Bliss dedicated much of their time to gleaning relevant information from state and county press conferences.
“There were constant group messages between us,” Myers said. “Every time the governor would announce something we would check with each other for interpretation of what it meant for us.”
Communication and guidance were often hard to process, according to Willet.
“We were hanging on the edge of our seats to see if we would even be included in Phase 2,” she said. While the second phase of reopening included salons and barber shops, it did not include other types of businesses, like fitness facilities, that were ordered to shut down the same day as Bliss. “We weren’t given a heads up that we would be allowed to reopen during this phase, so it wasn’t like we could prepare in advance.”
As Bliss began making plans to resume operations under the social distancing guidelines in Phase 2, there was a significant amount of preparation involved for the salon owners. Stations were moved to allow more than six feet of space between them and a schedule featuring alternating shifts for staff was introduced.
A protocol was developed to ensure the safety of staff and customers. Clients are required to have an appointment, and are asked to text their stylist prior to their arrival. Staff takes temperatures with a touchless thermometer outside of the shop before allowing customers to enter. Employees and patrons are required to wear masks inside the salon.
Stations are sanitized for 20 minutes between each customer and a fresh cape is provided for every appointment. Stylists now must change aprons between every appointment.
“That’s all out-of-pocket expenses,” Willet said. “And, it’s not cheap. We’re going above and beyond what the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends to keep everyone as safe as possible.”
The measures reduce the amount of customers Bliss can serve, according to Myers.
“When you add up all of the things that need to be done between clients, we’re much shorter on time,” she said. “Whereas we used to be able to get in five clients a day, now it’s more like three. So we’ll all be making less money, but the cost of our supplies is higher.”
While it’s impossible to predict the long-term impact COVID-19 will have on the business, the partners are returning to work with a “wait and see” attitude, according to Willet.
“Hopefully our clients will work with us through this,” she said.
North Fork Kitchen changes course
COVID-19 has led to uncertainty for many in the Swannanoa Valley, but the shutdown provided Vicki Preston and Amber Willsey an opportunity to reflect. While spring is typically the time of year the couple prepares for their upcoming busy season at North Fork Kitchen on Cherry Street, the past few weeks have been anything but normal.
North Fork Kitchen closed in March, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Owners Amber Willsey and Vicki Preston will reopen in early July in a smaller space that will include the existing patio on Cherry Street Square. Fred McCormick
The restaurant closed to dine-in customers on March 16, forcing Willsey and Preston to lay off all 12 of their employees. North Fork Kitchen offered to-go service in the early weeks of the shutdown, but closed completely when Preston injured her hand.
“It was kind of like a forced break, since there was no way we could make it work with Vicki out,” Willsey said. “At first it was really scary, because we weren’t sure what we were going to do. But by the second week of not working, we realized that we hadn’t really spent time together outside of work in so long. That gave us a chance to think about what we want out of our own lives.”
Willsey, Preston and a business associate bought Dark City Deli in 2017. After renovating the space, which included three dining areas, a bar and an outdoor patio, the managing partners relaunched as North Fork Kitchen in the summer of 2019. With their staff gone and business at a standstill in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, they asked their landlord if he could restructure the lease and allow them to downsize.
“He knew we would have hard times coming up and it was incredibly nice of him to even consider it,” Willsey said. “He came back with an offer that we knew would make things easier and help simplify our lives.”
The owners find themselves renovating again, as they convert a covered patio to an outdoor bar and expand the space in the back of the building, where they will continue to operate their restaurant. Mountain Fairy Hair and Blue Tree Global Apparel are leasing the two rooms along Cherry Street which were previously part of North Fork Kitchen. Willsey and Preston, who plan to reopen with a new menu and concept in early July, are excited about the new arrangement.
As businesses in the Swannanoa Valley begin to reopen, Mountain Fairy Hair and Blue Tree Global Apparel found a new home on Cherry Street in spaces that were formerly part of North Fork Kitchen. Fred McCormick
“Having this break made us scratch our heads, and ask ourselves if we really wanted a place with multiple dining rooms, or if we wanted something small and personable that feels like a second home,” Willsey said.
The move will reduce the indoor capacity of the restaurant from 55 to 25 patrons, and allow the partners to continue operating what Willsey calls “one of the nicest outdoor dining areas in town.”
Randy Giles, owner of BAD Craft, collaborated with Foothills Meats during the COVID-19 shutdown. As the state enters the second phase easing restrictions, he’s taking a cautious approach to reopening his shop. Fred McCormick
BAD Craft gets creative with Foothills collaboration
Next door, the owner of BAD Craft turned to collaboration in an effort to adapt to the COVID-19 crisis. Randy Giles, who opened his Cherry Street store in 2018, partnered with Foothills Meats shortly after the outbreak forced him to temporarily close to the public.
“We found a creative way to combine our resources and get our products to customers,” Giles said of the partnership with Foothills, which operates locations in Black Mountain and Asheville.
While continuing to offer to-go service at BAD Craft during the shutdown, Giles took on a delivery role with Foothills and began curating the beer selection for the Black Mountain Avenue business. The arrangement helped Giles retain his sole employee while his local craft beer, art and dessert business was closed to public.
As BAD Craft returns to welcoming walk-in customers, Giles is one of many local business owners taking a cautious approach to the reopening.
“People can come in and buy art, desserts and create their own six-packs or fill growlers,” he said. “But, we’re going to wait a couple of weeks before we start serving beer, in-house. We want to make sure we’re being as safe as possible.”