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Haircuts hit the road: Stow salon offering mobile colors, cuts to customers

Akron Beacon Journal - 6/11/2020

Don and Brittany Christy have gotten their family's hair cut at Gavin Scott Salon for the last six years -- a streak that even a pandemic couldn't break.

While salons are reopening, government regulations mandate people wear face masks when getting services. One of the Christy family's six children, 9-year-old Beckett, has autism and isn't comfortable when people wear masks because he relies heavily on facial expressions and body language for communication.

Gavin Scott Salon, located in Stow, has begun making housecalls for those like Beckett who don't feel comfortable in a salon environment or simply want to look good but don't feel like leaving the comfort of their own home.

Every Wednesday, co-owner Anne Davis travels from house to house fulfilling mobile requests. With her arrives a small purple suitcase of supplies that includes a mask, clear face shield and gloves.

In an effort to keep things simple, only haircuts and hair colorings are being offered through the housecalls. The service has only been available since June 3, but as more calls flood in, Davis anticipates having to expand her availability to include other weekdays.

One of these calls was for Beckett, who hadn't had a proper haircut in three months. After seeing the salon's advertisement on Facebook and with Beckett's 10th birthday only days away, his parents called and made a mobile appointment.

"Masks right now are a scary thing for him and he's very uncomfortable with it," Brittany Christy said. "To be able to avoid that kind of breakdown or fear for him is really great."

After 15 minutes of cutting and shaving, and the promise of ice cream and bubbles lingering in the air, Beckett had a new haircut.

"[Anne] is someone he knows and is comfortable with," Brittany Christy said. "Her being able to come and even use a clear face shield was way better."

Davis's inspiration for offering mobile cuts and colors was her at-risk clients who harbor underlying conditions and don't feel comfortable coming into the salon.

"We're really philanthropic here, it's kind of our motto," Davis said. "Everyone seems pretty happy about it."

Most of her mobile appointments have taken place in her client's yard or garage since the weather on her traveling days has been nice. Her first week was composed primarily of adults and her second week was mostly children. So far, Davis has been to 15 houses and has around 30 upcoming visits between now and July 1.

The salon obtained a temporary special event license from Ohio's Cosmetology Board. This allows them to provide services outside of the salon as long as they provide the board with all the addresses they visit.

Haircut and coloring services are regularly priced when done in a customer's home. For the past two weeks, there's been a $15 travel fee that covered what Ohio's Cosmetology Board charged the salon to service each house. The board has recently dropped their per-house charge, so starting June 17 getting a haircut at home will come at no additional cost.

Gavin Scott Salon will stop offering mobile haircuts and hair coloring services on Labor Day, Sept. 7, but noted that the date is dependent on future demand and social-distancing regulations.

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