Several members of our community also reached out asking for ways they could help support Haven during the closure, which was very kind and helped reassure us that we weren’t in it alone. We also saw in the news that cosmetic hair products were being sold at big box stores such as Walmart and Amazon, who were bringing in billions of dollars in additional profit during the pandemic. Meanwhile small businesses like hair salons were still not allowed to operate. This was a real blow and left us devastated. If it wasn’t for the support of our community, this would have been the lowest point of our journey.

Around that time, there was also the strange circumstance that businesses and hair salons in York Region were allowed to operate, only a 5 minute drive from Haven. This was especially troubling since it meant that on top of being closed, we could be losing business to our competitors up the road. In April, Doug Ford announced that salons would be allowed to open on April 12th, but the idea was scrapped shortly after and the entire province went back into lockdown.

On July 2nd, after over 10 months total of being forced to close our doors to the community, Haven was allowed to reopen for business once again. We were ecstatic to welcome our community back into our doors and our community did not hold back on their support! We are so thankful to everyone who supported us during those first two months. During that time we provided a record setting number of services. We coloured overgrown roots that were a year overdo, cut people’s hair at lengths we had never seen before, and saw some clients coming back to the salon for the first time in nearly two years.

With Haven back in such high demand, help was needed and we were struggling to find a new team member. We learned that many people in the service industry were staying home and collecting CERB, EI, or were taking this unprecedented opportunity to reassess their career or life direction. After four months of searching, we found Julia Ventrella, who became the newest junior member of the Haven family.

In the present day, Haven has become stronger, with the hope that there will be no further lockdowns forcing us to close shop. The province of Ontario boasts that over 75% of its population is fully vaccinated, thus allowing Haven to have remained operational for more than 5 months consecutively for the first time. We are finally starting to make up for lost time and growth. While things have not gone as planned, we have a new appreciation for our community which showed it’s unwavering support through the worst times.
 

Opening a small independent business is risky, but we have thus far survived against all odds and will continue the uphill battle in which we will emerge victorious with the support of our amazing community. Nearing over 200 genuine Google reviews and an astounding 5 Star rating, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of you. With your continued support we will push forward building a space where individuals and families can be themselves and enjoy the coolest vibes in the city, here in the heart of North York.

And so, thank you. Thank you for all your support during this hard time and thank you for showing up time after time. We hope to see you again soon and if you are new to us, come on in and find your Haven.