Saskatoon salon says business shifting as more skip colour and keep grey they got used to during pandemic
One local salon owner says a mix of government programs and employee adaptability helped keep her business afloat over the past year of the pandemic.
Melanie Sather is co-owner at Reveal Salon and Spa and says they lost 25 per cent of their clients over the last 16 months and had to subsidize staff wages to help make ends meet.
“Everybody’s paychecks were affected and it’s been scary at times,” Sather told CTV News.
What saved them she says, is a relief program offered by the province and she wishes more businesses would’ve used the help to avoid closing.
Sather says the reason customers dropped off in part was that they got used to minimal hair care and while some have since returned, it’s concerning for the future of her salon.
“We’ve had a lot more clients who are transitioning to their grey which in the long-term affects all of us on a regular basis because they’re not coming in near as often or maybe not at all because it’s just haircuts and not colours,” she said.
Government of Saskatchewan spokesperson Robin Speer told CTV News in an email, they’ve provided $77 million in payments to approximately 6,500 applicants through The Small Business Emergency Payment Program (SSBEP).
About $30 million more has gone to help other sectors adapt like the tourism industry.
The Re-Open Saskatchewan Training Subsidy (RSTS) was developed to help businesses train employees and adjust to the impacts of the pandemic.
Over 1,800 applications have been approved in that program.
Another provincial program, the Strong Recovery Adaptation Rebate (SRS) was developed to help businesses pivot to new and safer ways of doing business.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.