Hoover police issue citations to Inverness barbershop defying state shutdown order

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Photo by Jon Anderson

The Male Room 5-4-20

Stylists at The Male Room barbershop cut men's hair on Monday, May 4, 2020, despite a state health order that prohibits the operation of certain close-contact service providers such as barbershops, hair salons, nail salons and massage businesses. In the foreground, Tiffany Pilleteri gives a cut to John Porter of Hoover, Alabama.

The Inverness barbershop that is defying the state health order for close-contact businesses to remain closed is receiving citations from Hoover police, but city officials continue working to get the restrictions removed.

Scott Farr, owner of The Male Room barbershop in the Inverness Corners shopping center, originally promised to reopen on April 17 despite the state restrictions, but he backed down at the last minute with assurances from city and federal officials that they were trying to convince the governor’s office to ease up on restrictions for close-contact service providers.

When Gov. Kay Ivey revised her order last week, she allowed some close-contact businesses such as dentists to reopen, but barbershops, hair salons, nail salons and massage businesses were still prohibited from opening.

Farr said he just couldn’t wait any longer and reopened for business on Friday, May 1.

As promised, Hoover police were there Friday and gave the business a citation for violating the state health order. The violation was a misdemeanor. There were no arrests, but the business is subject to a fine of up to $500, depending on the discretion of the municipal judge, Hoover police Lt. Keith Czeskleba said.

Police also on Friday gave warnings to Farr and the people cutting hair that they could be cited as individuals if they continued to operate, Czeskleba said. On Saturday, police returned and cited the business a second time, as well as Farr and about seven people who were cutting hair, Czeskleba said.

Each person faces a possible fine of up to $500 for each offense, he said.

“He’ll have a day in court just like everybody else would that receives a [traffic] ticket,” Czeskleba said.

Police have said they understand that businesses want to reopen. But “as a law enforcement officer of Alabama, we enforce the law of the said state, and that’s the law of the land right now,” Czeskleba said.

Farr said he doesn’t hold any ill will toward the police or city officials because he doesn’t believe they really want to write him citations.

“I feel sorry for ‘em actually,” Farr said. “You could tell — it was almost like it was demeaning to them to have to fool with something as silly as this.”

Farr said some people have praised him as being bold by reopening, but for him, it wasn’t so much about being bold or trying to make a statement.

“I just saw it as a desperation move,” he said. “It was going to end badly one way or another.”

Either he went out of business due to no income, or he tried to sustain his business and possibly get fined.

Since reopening, business has been brisk, but not as good as usual, Farr said. And there is no way he can recover all of the revenue he lost by being closed for six to seven weeks, he said.

“It’s hard for any low-margin business to sustain that,” he said.

He really appreciates all the support he has received from the community, as well as the new customers who have come as a result of his decision to reopen before the state restrictions are lifted, he said.

Farr said he understands that COVID-19 is a real disease, but he doesn’t think it’s right for the government to shut businesses down the way it has. People have to be able to earn a living, he said.

There are reputable epidemiologists who disagree with the strategy of shutting businesses down, but most of the media and government officials are not paying attention to them, he said.

Barbers and cosmetologists are trained in sanitation procedures and know how to keep people safe, he said. It doesn’t make sense to allow places like The Home Depot to stay open but not barbershops, he said.

Since reopening, The Male Shop is limiting the number of customers in the shop at the same time and keeping at least six feet between customers, he said. The shop is taking the temperature of each customer and employee when they arrive, asking customers to use hand sanitizer and offering a self-serve checkout process.

No employee is being forced to come to work or penalized for not coming to work yet, it’s totally voluntary on their part, he said.

Farr said Hoover city officials have shown support for him as well.

“From Mayor Brocato on down, everybody was as gracious as they could have been,” he said.

Some council members and others have told him they would do everything they could to get the citations against him to go away, he said.

Brocato said he and other mayors of Alabama’s 10 largest cities have asked the governor to at least give a timeline for the reopening of close-contact providers and restaurant dining rooms.

Brocato said he thinks they ought to be able to reopen immediately. Various professional groups, such as the Alabama Restaurant Association, have come up with reasonable recommendations regarding social distancing and hygiene practices to keep people safe, he said.

“They’re doing it in various parts of the country right now,” Brocato said. “It’s time for us to do it."

“This virus is not going to go away,” the mayor said. “Our society has to learn how we’re going to operate within the confines of the virus and not spread it.”

The biggest problem he has right now is the decisions being made to open some businesses but keep others closed, he said. “You can have your teeth cleaned, and you can’t get a haircut. There’s just no way to explain that. We want to get our businesses open.”

Brocato said he has been in touch with the governor’s office on an almost daily basis lately, and “I really expect to hear something very soon. They realize the importance of it. They really do, and they’re trying to work through all the issues.”

The Hoover City Council on Monday night passed a resolution, supporting the request for state officials to at least give a timeline for the reopening of close-contact service providers and restaurant dining rooms.

This article was updated at 7:49 p.m. with the City Council's action Monday night.