Newtown Barber: We Can — And Must — Safely Reopen Soon

NEWTOWN, PA — The owner of a popular Newtown barbershop said the coronavirus closures are severely impacting his business, and he fears he'll have to close permanently if the state won't soon approve guidance to allow them to safely reopen.

Fuse owner Nick Tosti told Patch he's worried the business won't make it if the closures extend through the summer.

Tosti opened a year ago, and in the months leading up to the coronavirus was far outperforming his own business projections. "We were doing really well," he said.

But then the coronavirus came and devastated Tosti's dream, and the dreams of thousands of area business owners.

Fuse, located in the Village at Newtown Shopping Center, still must pay rent, despite not having a single customer since mid-March. He said the landlord will defer payments to be paid back later in the year, but he's hesitant to take on more debt only to return in an unpredictable atmosphere.

"If it stays the way it is, we could be looking at July or August" for a reopening, Tosti said. "We would be finished by then. I just don’t know how we could recover from all the back debt."

Tosti and other industry leaders are pushing for salons and barbershops to be reopened under the "yellow" phase of the governor's coronavirus mitigation plan, "which we feel is totally responsible and safe."

"We should not be looped into same category as restaurant and gyms," Tosti said.

He said he and other salon owners have been communicating with state officials to push for measures they believe will safeguard the public health, while allowing them to operate.

State health officials and the Wolf Administration have not yet given any indication when barbershops and salons may reopen. But once they do, don't expect your experience to be the same as it was before the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic.

There will be enhanced cleaning and sterilization measures, strict social distancing guidelines, and other safety protocols. "We’re going to be complying with all the regulations that are required of us," Tosti said.

At Fuse, here's what you can expect:

For one, there won't be a waiting room. All services will be by appointment-only, and the door will remain locked. When customers arrive for an appointment, they'll be permitted inside once the stylist is ready for them.

All customers will have their temperature taken at the door, Tosti said. Plus, all customers will have to use the provided hand sanitizer.

Capacity will be reduced, and all stylists will be wearing masks. Customers will be wearing masks, too, Tosti said. (The mask may have to be briefly removed when the barber is cutting certain parts of the head or around the ears, he acknowledged.)

All chairs and tools will be sanitized between each customer.

"We want to everyone to be safe. We’re not trying to put anyone in a situation where we’re opening up too soon," he said. But, he added, it seems time for a reopening with specific safety guidelines in place.

"Gov. Wolf, when he first ordered us closed, said that it would be a few weeks to flatten the curve. That’s been done," he said, adding the extended closures are hitting small businesses the hardest. Many chain retailers have remained open, he noted.

Plus, hair doesn't stop growing just because the barbershop is closed. People desperate for a haircut are calling barbers into their homes, he said.

"Underground cuts are happening everywhere," Tosti said. "Is it safer for me to do this in someone's kitchen or at my barbershop?"

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