London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Beauty shops experiencing slow periods as COVID-19 takes toll

Beauty shops experiencing slow periods as COVID-19 takes toll

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis continues to take its toll on the global economy, at least two beauty shops in the British Virgin Islands are feeling the fallout.

Speaking to BVI News on Monday, prominent businesswoman Patsy Lake confirmed that business has slowed in that area.

She owns and operates a beauty salon and barbershop out of One Stop Mall in Road Town.

“It has been drastic. When we would normally do ‘X’ amount, and have ‘X’ numbers, we are not doing that. Like the beauty businesses and the barbershop businesses, it goes up and down. We will be swamped one day and then another day, barely nothing. We had to stagger hours,” Lake explained.


Businesswoman Patsy Lake owns and operates a beauty salon and barbershop out of One Stop Mall in Road Town.



Widespread lay-offs mean fewer patronising beauty shops


She associates these changes with the widespread job-losses that have affected persons locally.

“A number of persons are still unemployed and there are a number of persons that are still underemployed. And, those are the people who would, of course, be turning over in businesses such as mine,” she explained.

However, Lake said she remains grateful despite the new sporadic nature of her business.

“All we could do is hold on. We have a lot to be thankful for, so the dollar will come in time. As long as we have health, the dollar will come, but if you don’t have the health, where are you? There is no hope. You look at a lot of the businesses in America, they are folding up like paper bags, so if my door could still stay open, I am thankful,” she said.

One client for the day


In the meantime, another beauty shop owner also said she, too, is seeing a smaller client base.

In an interview with our news centre at minutes after 5 pm on Monday, Kishma Bodkin of Kishma’s Braid Studios was servicing the only client she’s seen for the entire day.

“I still have my staff but it’s kind of difficult to take on more people. But still, people coming and do their hair. At least we are making ends meet but you ain’t really saving.”


Hairstylist and businesswoman Kishma Bodkin braids a clients hair.


Business good before COVID


She said she hasn’t reduced her staff hours as they understand and fully aware of the difficult period brought on by the COVID-19.

The full complement of her staff comprises one barber, a nail technician, and two hairdressers. Meanwhile, Bodkin said things were going well businesswise before the COVID-19.

“[Pre-pandemic], you would see a lot of people come. They would do their hair. There were places to go and things to do. But now everything is quiet and everybody watching their money. So sometimes in one month you would say “let me do four hairstyles”, now you would do one braid, something that can stretch you. But we have to do something, we have to survive still.”

Appeal to landlord


Despite the difficult times, Bodkin said she, too, is remaining positive.

“There are days you make and days you don’t make [money]. Right now I’m going to have to talk to my landlord to see if he could give me a little break on the rent. But I don’t know how that would go. If it don’t get better, it will force a lot of business to close down.”

BVI News spoke to a number of other business owners in the local beauty industry who opted to not comment on the state of their business due to the fear of being victimized.

Kishma’s Braid Studios.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×