Beauty in the Time of COVID

DAR Beauty, a family-owned business in Brooklyn is weathering the ups and downs of the pandemic. Pre-COVID, Daniela Quezada was beginning to make a name for herself as a make-up artist, working out of the Crown Heights salon. But then in March, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the closure of personal care services, forcing the salon to cancel appointments for clients in need of blowouts, nail color changes, make-up and lash extensions. “It was difficult when everything closed,” said Quezada, 21. “We would have clients message us to still provide our services even when we were closed.”

Like other small businesses, DAR Beauty has been forced to pivot through closures and reopenings over the past year. This is especially true for enterprises like the salon, owned by women and people of color that provide local services in New York. Now, even with a vaccine on the way, the end of the pandemic may not come for many more months. In the meantime, DAR Beauty offers a case study of two very young businesswomen who have been nimble enough to keep the doors open.

On July 15^th after lockdown orders had finally been lifted, Quezada and her cousin Camila Lopez launched the Instagram page for their own beauty business D.C Beauty. This is the duo’s personal venture, which they operate from their family salon at DAR Beauty. “We’ve always wanted to do something involving beauty,” explained Lopez, who at 17 is already a certified nail technician. “Before this we didn’t have the page, but we did offer the services. When we finally opened, we started getting our clients back, and we started again with the clients that were waiting for us.”

For some businesses, COVID safety precautions have felt like a challenging transition. But like many other nail technicians, Lopez wore a facemask when working with clients prior to the pandemic. Now, following new health and safety regulations, DAR Beauty only allows four clients in the salon at a time, and all clients and beauticians are required to follow facemask regulations. “At first it was difficult adjusting to having the facemask on at all times,” Quezada said. “It’s kind of just making it work because we’re often in close contact with our clients, so it adds a barrier.”

Facemasks do not deter clients like Ivette Alicia, 21, from enjoying being pampered after months in lockdown. “I was soooo excited to go back to the salon,” she recalled. “The D.C Beauty experience is great. I live a great distance from the salon but don’t mind the trip because I love Camila’s service.”

Lopez and Quezada appreciate their clients and love helping them embrace their beauty. “Beauty is everyone,” Quezada said. “Everyone looks beautiful regardless of any procedures. It’s about doing things for you to make you feel and look your best.”

McKinsey & Company projects that the beauty industry in the U.S. is set to decline by as much as 35% if COVID-19 cases continue to rise, statistics that could jeopardize the fate of beauty salons and new business ventures such as D.C Beauty. However, the duo remains hopeful as they try to focus on expanding the success of their business.

“We definitely want COVID to be over,” said Quezada. “While we have been lucky enough to keep our business going, it’s definitely affected us. We’re going to continue serving our clients, and hopefully we can open our own salon and expand to other locations.”