The biggest events of the Crop Over season are just around the corner, but many barbers, hairstylists and nail technicians in Bridgetown said business has been slower than expected, although they remained hopeful that a last-minute rush will boost earnings before the festival climaxes.
Barber Daniel Singh of Oddies Barbershop in Bridge Street Mall said he has not yet seen the seasonal spike in customers.
Daniel Singh. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)
“For me it’s kind of slow. I feel it will pick up sometime later on like month end,” he said, adding that business often depends on individual clientele.
He estimated that he has been doing about “eight or nine” haircuts a day and noted that while elaborate designs are less common, Crop Over customers usually request practical styles.
“Mainly if it’s a Crop Over going on, probably like they will just ask for… fades and shaves, and roundups. If they want designs, that only comes like two or three times a week… three times a month.”
A similar trend was reported by Kevin, the barber at Hair Fair 911 in Mall 16 on Swan Street, who said business had been quiet for much of June and early July but is beginning to improve:
Hair Fair 911. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)
“This is the time where we expect that business will start to boom within the next week. For the next two weeks, business would be up… until back to school again.
Kevin averages about seven haircuts a day between Monday and Thursday, but on Fridays and Saturdays that number can double to between 15 and 17 customers, he said.
Customers are increasingly choosing simple, lower-maintenance styles, he added.
“The thing now is just the temple fade… with your pencil line finishing. That’s what people looking for now.”
Those styles are also easier on customers’ pockets.
“It’s less maintenance and it’s cheaper,” he explained. “With that hairstyle… it’s easier for the barber too because it’s not a big haircut.”
Although optimistic, Kevin believes financial pressures affected spending earlier in the season.
“For the last two to three weeks it was pretty dead… people weren’t getting the payments on time… it’d be hard to come and trust a haircut, to be honest with you. But you’re seeing it now… business will be up this weekend.”
Hairstylist Sharon Barker-Holmes of Curls and Tips, also located in Mall 16 on Swan Street, said several factors have contributed to the slowdown.
Curls and Tips. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)
“A lot of my people already did hair for graduation,” she said, explaining that braided styles completed for graduation ceremonies often last for weeks, reducing the need for another salon visit during Crop Over.
She also pointed to changing consumer habits.
“It’s the new age of YouTube University and who ain’t YouTubing it buying wigs,” she said, noting that many people are styling their own hair or relying on relatives instead of visiting professional salons.
Economic challenges are also affecting clients’ spending:
“A lot of my clients in the hotel industry… their hours are being cut… so they don’t have the funds. You can’t pressure nobody to come and get nothing done if they don’t have it.”
While some days remain busy, Barker-Holmes said business no longer reaches the levels it once did.
“Today I might sit in here and then tomorrow I’m busy, busy, busy. I can’t say that you’re making money but you’re making it as you used to.”
She recalled that years ago she could comfortably serve eight clients daily, whereas now that number represents a particularly busy day.
“The young ladies that are now coming out of school doing cosmetology… everybody coming out thinking they’re a hairdresser… they’re taken away from what I would be receiving as a hairstylist.”
Nail technician Rhea, who operates Orhevia’s Nails inside Bella Voi Beauty Salon at Mall 16 in shop number eight, said: “Since after Mother’s Day, the pace has really slowed down and ain’t as much foot traffic… not as much appointments since Mother’s Day,” she said.
Nail technician Rhea. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)
She typically serves between two and five clients a day, depending on the services requested, with both appointments and walk-ins accepted.
Rhea said spending patterns often reflect customers’ financial situations:
“When they ask for less, they have a budget that they’re working [with], and then when they ask for more, it will either be a celebration or events that they didn’t actually spend more than what they accustomed to spending.”
Even so, she remains hopeful that the busiest days of the festival will bring more customers through the door.
“I pray… hopefully that it picks up by Friday or Saturday,” she said.
(LE)
