SAN ANTONIO – It is weirdly quiet inside Pure Posh Salon. Dryers are unplugged. Chairs are empty. The only cut is to revenue.
“Our business is face-to-face service, so when you shut down, it really shuts everything down,” said Leti Latham, co-owner of the Stone Oak salon.
On March 24, she had to close her shop. But that didn’t mean she had to shut down business.
“I can definitely say we came back,” she said. “We’ve pivoted.”
Call it the pandemic pivot. Many small businesses faced with evaporating income and stacking bills have had to reinvent themselves to stay alive.
Restaurants have taken to selling their groceries. Some car dealers have launched mobile service.
For Latham, it means curbside hair color.
She may be closed for in-person appointments, but she still has what customers need -- color for graying or grown-out roots.
So she’s making DIY kits, complete with bowl, gloves and custom-mixed color formulas. Regular clients’ formulas are in the books and new clients can get a video consultation.
“I have them stand outside, turn around and see how bright it is,” Latham said.
It’s beauty in a bag delivered curbside. Tutorials are delivered by email. And the shop’s Facebook page offers more how-to videos.
"We’ve had the best reception, Latham said.
Drastic times call for creative measures.
“It’s important to look around and see different ways you can serve the community with your product and service,” said Robert Scherer, Ph.D., dean of Trinity University’s School of Business.
In addition to taking advantage of government grant and loan programs, Scherer suggests now is the time for small businesses to take inventory of their assets and figure out how to apply them in the current climate.
“Think about unfulfilled needs or new needs and create solutions where there may be gaps," he said.
For Latham that means providing hair and face products to people who can’t get to the salon right now. But it’s more than that.
“It helps to stay connected with our clients,” she said.
She hopes she will be able to open her doors soon, but in the meantime, she’s engaged the entrepreneurial spirit to make ends meet.
“I’m not going to stop doing what we have to do to make sure we keep our doors open and keep the lights on,” she said. "I"m not going to stop."
Update 4/16/20:
Some viewers have contacted KSAT asking if curbside color kits are a violation of state cosmetology rules.
We reached out to the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation and received the following statement from Tela Goodwin Mange, the agency’s public information officer :
“The sale of professionally prepared color is not a violation of TDLR cosmetology rules, but product companies may have manufacturer specifications as to how their products can be used, i.e., by trained and licensed professionals. Those standards could possibly leave the licensee open to liability if their client uses the product improperly. Ultimately, whether to sell that color to clients is a business decision by the cosmetologist.”