((PKG)) COVID / REMOTE HAIR SALON
((TRT: 07:38))
((Banner: A Business Adapts))
((Reporter/Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Map: Garrett Park, Maryland))
((Main character: 1 female))
((Sub character: 1 female; 1 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
So, I'm Maggie Sprague. My salon is Salon Bond and I've
been in business since 2006. Before the pandemic, I had a
booming business. I work in my home and I started work at
6:30 in the morning and worked until about 2:30 when I
would pick my kids up from school.
((Photos Courtesy: Maggie Sprague))
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
I have a really, really nice base of ladies that come in here
and I don't know that it'll be the same again ever, because
when they come in, normally I have a few people in at once
and there is sort of this groove in the room and the
conversations start and you sort of feel like you're with your
girlfriends having cocktails, only there’s no cocktails involved
and I miss the salon terribly. I miss my clients. I love the
people that I work with.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her son))
((Maggie Sprague))
You have to read it, sweetie.
((Maggie’s Son))
I’m reading in my mind.
((Maggie Sprague))
No, you’ve got to read it out loud.
((Maggie’s Son))
No, I don’t have to.
((NATS))
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
Since the pandemic, I haven't seen any clients. I spend
most of my days cooking and cleaning and folding laundry
and cleaning again and making beds and cleaning again and
yelling at my children which I've been doing a lot of. I have
three little kids. I'm trying to school them, which is not easy.
I think I’ve about given up on schooling the three year old.
I feel like my life has been completely taken over by my
children and they're too young to appreciate it. So, I feel
completely under-appreciated like I am just the hired help
here to serve. And, you know, some days that's okay and
some days it's not.
((NATS))
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
So, the last morning that I saw clients, I thought, you know,
I'm going to have to come up with some idea for my clients
to be able to touch their hair up. People are still working.
They're still doing Zoom. You're still being seen and no
woman wants to look in a video camera or a computer at
herself and see roots and feel horrible.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean))
((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom))
((Jean))
Hi, Maggie.
((Maggie Sprague))
Hi. Is your hair nice and wet?
((Jean)
It's wet.
((Maggie Sprague))
Okay. So maybe you could hold your kit up so I can show
you what you’re going to mix. You have gloves, you have a
brush and you have two containers. One of the, yeah, that's
it.
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
So, I came up with this idea to do custom color kits at a
reduced cost and simple instructions where I could
FaceTime my clients or Zoom with them at home and walk
them through it. So, it was a lot less scary than if you were
to go buy a box from the grocery store, not knowing what
you're putting on your head and then guessing how you put it
on. So, when I video chat with my clients, the first thing I do
is tell them how to mix the color, right, because there's two
separate things, there's the color and the developer.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean))
((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom))
((Jean))
Okay. So, I’ve got developer.
((Maggie Sprague))
Yeah.
((Jean))
And then color and you wrote the directions.
((Maggie Sprague))
Once you get that stirred, you can start at the back of your
head. So, you want to start sort of at the nape of your neck
painting your hairline completely.
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
I don't prefer it. I prefer to have contact with people and the
normal line of communication. But, you know, it's not
terrible. At least I get to see people. Their personalities still
come through on Zoom. And, you know, every day, I have
at least a few FaceTimes or Zoom calls with different clients
and they're so funny. It's my adult interaction for the day.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean))
((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom))
((Jean))
Where are all your people? Where all your little muffins?
((Maggie Sprague))
The boys are outside and Gigi is in her room and my
husband’s been on work calls all day. Sometimes I think he
adds extra work calls so he doesn't have to come upstairs.
((Jean))
Absolutely he does. Absolutely. Don't think it, know it, he
does. He's probably playing. He’s like playing Candy Crush,
looking at Facebook and then you come in, he's like, ‘Oh
Maggie, I’m very busy.’
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
My business will survive this. One of the reasons is that I
don't have rent to pay because I manage my salon out of my
home. I do have a mortgage and my income is relevant.
We are a dual income family, but we'll survive this. The kits,
because I have such a large client base to begin with, I have
more of an audience of people to sell my kits to.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean))
((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom))
((Jean))
And should I go to the front all the way?
((Maggie Sprague))
Oh yeah, all the way to the front. And that's the part that's
really important, so make sure you really get it on.
((Jean))
My kids don't even recognize me. They have no idea who I
am. They're like, ‘Who are you lady with black hair at the
roots?’ I’m like, ‘It’s your mom’.
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
Maybe, there is a future in this and who knows how long this
pandemic is going to go on? There's no vaccine and even
when there is, when there's an outbreak of the pandemic,
older people are not going to want to come in and take their
health at risk to get their hair colored but yet they still want to
look good.
((NATS))
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
I am eager to get back to my normal way of working.
However, I see this as a new way of doing things. I would
love to be able to provide kits for people after the pandemic
and not just my clients. I would be happy to provide them for
anybody. It may turn into another type of business for me,
something that I do on the side that helps people when they
can’t get into the salon.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean))
((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom))
((Maggie Sprague))
So, Jean, I mean, this was like amazing. I'm so psyched that
you are so happy with your hair. And I hope, you know,
we're able to get back in the salon again soon but, you know,
for now, this will do the trick.
((Jean))
Oh, my God yeah. Maggie, you, for real, are a super
lifesaver. And this did make you so happy because I'm not
even joking. It's awful if you're locked up and your hair looks
awful. And you made it super easy and it was super fun and
then everyone was like, ‘Oh Jean, your hair looks really
good.’ I’m like, ‘Call Maggie. It’s Maggie, the miracle
muffin.’
((Maggie Sprague))
I love it.
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
And that's one thing I realized through this and I knew it
before but it's very apparent now. Women care about what
they look like no matter if they're 15 or 90. Everybody cares
about their appearance. Everybody wants to look good. No
one wants to look bad.
((TRT: 07:38))
((Banner: A Business Adapts))
((Reporter/Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Map: Garrett Park, Maryland))
((Main character: 1 female))
((Sub character: 1 female; 1 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
So, I'm Maggie Sprague. My salon is Salon Bond and I've
been in business since 2006. Before the pandemic, I had a
booming business. I work in my home and I started work at
6:30 in the morning and worked until about 2:30 when I
would pick my kids up from school.
((Photos Courtesy: Maggie Sprague))
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
I have a really, really nice base of ladies that come in here
and I don't know that it'll be the same again ever, because
when they come in, normally I have a few people in at once
and there is sort of this groove in the room and the
conversations start and you sort of feel like you're with your
girlfriends having cocktails, only there’s no cocktails involved
and I miss the salon terribly. I miss my clients. I love the
people that I work with.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her son))
((Maggie Sprague))
You have to read it, sweetie.
((Maggie’s Son))
I’m reading in my mind.
((Maggie Sprague))
No, you’ve got to read it out loud.
((Maggie’s Son))
No, I don’t have to.
((NATS))
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
Since the pandemic, I haven't seen any clients. I spend
most of my days cooking and cleaning and folding laundry
and cleaning again and making beds and cleaning again and
yelling at my children which I've been doing a lot of. I have
three little kids. I'm trying to school them, which is not easy.
I think I’ve about given up on schooling the three year old.
I feel like my life has been completely taken over by my
children and they're too young to appreciate it. So, I feel
completely under-appreciated like I am just the hired help
here to serve. And, you know, some days that's okay and
some days it's not.
((NATS))
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
So, the last morning that I saw clients, I thought, you know,
I'm going to have to come up with some idea for my clients
to be able to touch their hair up. People are still working.
They're still doing Zoom. You're still being seen and no
woman wants to look in a video camera or a computer at
herself and see roots and feel horrible.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean))
((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom))
((Jean))
Hi, Maggie.
((Maggie Sprague))
Hi. Is your hair nice and wet?
((Jean)
It's wet.
((Maggie Sprague))
Okay. So maybe you could hold your kit up so I can show
you what you’re going to mix. You have gloves, you have a
brush and you have two containers. One of the, yeah, that's
it.
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
So, I came up with this idea to do custom color kits at a
reduced cost and simple instructions where I could
FaceTime my clients or Zoom with them at home and walk
them through it. So, it was a lot less scary than if you were
to go buy a box from the grocery store, not knowing what
you're putting on your head and then guessing how you put it
on. So, when I video chat with my clients, the first thing I do
is tell them how to mix the color, right, because there's two
separate things, there's the color and the developer.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean))
((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom))
((Jean))
Okay. So, I’ve got developer.
((Maggie Sprague))
Yeah.
((Jean))
And then color and you wrote the directions.
((Maggie Sprague))
Once you get that stirred, you can start at the back of your
head. So, you want to start sort of at the nape of your neck
painting your hairline completely.
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
I don't prefer it. I prefer to have contact with people and the
normal line of communication. But, you know, it's not
terrible. At least I get to see people. Their personalities still
come through on Zoom. And, you know, every day, I have
at least a few FaceTimes or Zoom calls with different clients
and they're so funny. It's my adult interaction for the day.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean))
((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom))
((Jean))
Where are all your people? Where all your little muffins?
((Maggie Sprague))
The boys are outside and Gigi is in her room and my
husband’s been on work calls all day. Sometimes I think he
adds extra work calls so he doesn't have to come upstairs.
((Jean))
Absolutely he does. Absolutely. Don't think it, know it, he
does. He's probably playing. He’s like playing Candy Crush,
looking at Facebook and then you come in, he's like, ‘Oh
Maggie, I’m very busy.’
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
My business will survive this. One of the reasons is that I
don't have rent to pay because I manage my salon out of my
home. I do have a mortgage and my income is relevant.
We are a dual income family, but we'll survive this. The kits,
because I have such a large client base to begin with, I have
more of an audience of people to sell my kits to.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean))
((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom))
((Jean))
And should I go to the front all the way?
((Maggie Sprague))
Oh yeah, all the way to the front. And that's the part that's
really important, so make sure you really get it on.
((Jean))
My kids don't even recognize me. They have no idea who I
am. They're like, ‘Who are you lady with black hair at the
roots?’ I’m like, ‘It’s your mom’.
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
Maybe, there is a future in this and who knows how long this
pandemic is going to go on? There's no vaccine and even
when there is, when there's an outbreak of the pandemic,
older people are not going to want to come in and take their
health at risk to get their hair colored but yet they still want to
look good.
((NATS))
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
I am eager to get back to my normal way of working.
However, I see this as a new way of doing things. I would
love to be able to provide kits for people after the pandemic
and not just my clients. I would be happy to provide them for
anybody. It may turn into another type of business for me,
something that I do on the side that helps people when they
can’t get into the salon.
((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean))
((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom))
((Maggie Sprague))
So, Jean, I mean, this was like amazing. I'm so psyched that
you are so happy with your hair. And I hope, you know,
we're able to get back in the salon again soon but, you know,
for now, this will do the trick.
((Jean))
Oh, my God yeah. Maggie, you, for real, are a super
lifesaver. And this did make you so happy because I'm not
even joking. It's awful if you're locked up and your hair looks
awful. And you made it super easy and it was super fun and
then everyone was like, ‘Oh Jean, your hair looks really
good.’ I’m like, ‘Call Maggie. It’s Maggie, the miracle
muffin.’
((Maggie Sprague))
I love it.
((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond))
And that's one thing I realized through this and I knew it
before but it's very apparent now. Women care about what
they look like no matter if they're 15 or 90. Everybody cares
about their appearance. Everybody wants to look good. No
one wants to look bad.
