LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As Kentucky salons and barbershops reopen, a local shop owner said he believes the businesses serve as the heart of the community and provide more than just haircuts.
After being closed for more than two months, J. Divine Alexander has reopened The Campus Barber Shop, facing new guidelines, new rules and a new normal.
"We're trying to make sure that we're safe and you're safe," he said.
Which means face masks for customers and employees.
"I've been giving them to individuals that don't have them," said Alexander. "I don't want that to prevent anyone from getting a haircut if they need one."
There's also a hand sanitizing station, latex gloves and signs posted.
"As a matter of fact, as you can see, we have PPE capes now, they're disposable capes," he said.
As the owner, Alexander wears a lot of hats, and he has added a few more since reopening.
"COVID policing," he said. "As a business owner, it falls back on me if we do exceed those CDC guidelines of 10 or more in the barbershop."
After each appointment, Alexander does a quick walk-through to make sure everyone is following the new guidelines. There are also touchless temperature checks. And with so many changes, Alexander met with his barbers before reopening.
"I actually told 'em how it was going to be set up, how we were going to go about this approach, this new way of living," said Alexander. "I made sure they had the proper PPE so we could come back to what is now the new normal."
The new normal includes a lot of limitations, but there's one thing Alexander hopes will never change.
"I think that if this happens again, we have to understand the necessity of a barber," he said.
Whether it's the game of the week, the talk of the town or even a personal problem, Alexander says barbershops provide an essential outlet for a lot of people.
"That was kind of the concept of the barbershop, it's kind of like the black man's country club," said Alexander.
Meanwhile, since reopening on Monday, customers including Gavin Sullivan have been coming nonstop.
"I've been having this marked on my calendar for about a month," said Sullivan, a University of Louisville baseball player and a new customer.
"I need a haircut pretty bad, man," he said.
During the pandemic, Alexander worked at ValuMart, where he met Sullivan and the store owner, who was one of Alexander's first customers when the shop reopened.
"That means a lot for him to come and bring his son ... just so they could patronize me," said Alexander.
Alexander hopes there will not be another shutdown, but he plans to keep working at ValuMart two days a week, just in case.
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