Lillian's Hair Salon Bounces Back

The International Beauty Show is the longest-running event of its kind for the industry, drawing tens of thousands of professionals — not to mention the largest manufacturers and suppliers in the spa, skincare, hair, nails and cosmetic markets — to the Javits Convention Center in New York.

And as she does every year, Lillian Schon made sure she had her ticket.

But in the early morning hours before the first day of the show, the owner of Lillian’s Hair Salon in Westhampton Beach received several emails explaining that the whole ordeal was canceled — with no explanation, “which I thought was very odd,” she said.

It was Sunday, March 8, 2020, and the streets of New York City were already empty, she said. In less than a week, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo would shut down all service businesses, including her salon.

“I didn’t think anything of it,” Ms. Schon said. “I called my Saturday clients to reschedule and come in Friday. I put signs up on windows: ‘Temporarily closed, please reschedule.’ I thought two weeks was no big deal — little did we know. My salon has seen many slow, cold, snowy winters, but never a pandemic.”

Over the next three and a half months, clients called Ms. Schon absolutely frantic. She urged them to be patient, assuring that the salon would open soon.

And sure enough, they waited for her, she said.

“Opening day, clients came in crying happy tears and with gifts — so happy to see us again,” she said. “It made us all cry because our clients become our friends and second family.”

Since mid-June, Ms. Schon and her staff have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic, reimagining the 28-year-old business by moving services outdoors, weather permitting, and wearing masks and face shields.

“Our type of business builds self esteem; when you look good, you feel good about yourself. It’s a happy business!” she said. “Who says hair is not essential? The future in the beauty industry will always survive, even in a pandemic.”