Mae’s Beauty Salon has adopted new strategies to keep doors open until the cost of living stabilizes, reports NBC 7 and Telemundo 20’s Sergio Flores.
The rain pounded the cement just outside of the hair salon’s open door. This type of weather is not good for new hairstyles; and therefore, it’s bad for business.
“When it comes to press and curl relaxers and stuff, yes, raining, you know, it’s a problem,” Mae Badu, owner of Mae’s Beauty Salon, told NBC 7 Responds.
The immigrant from Ghana did a fine job bringing the vibe of her country to the business she calls her second home. It’s been more than 10 years since she took her smile and her skills to go into business for herself.
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“I started from renting a booth and then decided to open my own salon. It was scary,” she admitted.
She also admitted to once again feeling that fear of uncertainty that she said has also gripped other similar businesses in the beauty industry.
The chairs are empty. It was never slow like this.
Mae Badu, owner of Mae's Beauty Salon
NBC 7 Responds
“The chairs are empty. It was never slow like this,” Mae Badu said.
She explained the challenge with the services she offers is that when more families tighten up their budgets, one of the first things cut is hair appointments.
“I have a client that canceled last minute and said, ‘Mae, so sorry, you know, I have to pay a sudden bill that just came in, that I need to take care of before my hair,’” she recalled.
They have a plan in place spearheaded by Mae Badu's daughter, Crystal Badu.
“This one here is the French, curly, individual braid,” Crystal Badu said, pointing to a reel on Instagram that shows a woman running her fingers through her long braided hair. “So the boho braids have been trending,” she added as she scrolled to another reel.
Crystal Badu hopes her online efforts will help keep the hair salon in place by growing it on social media.
“Before we knew, her Instagram page grew to 1.8 million followers and that was so wonderful to see her get the acknowledgement she deserves. She works very, very hard,” Crystal Badu said as she looked at her mom.
The mother-and-daughter duo have also made changes at home to reduce costs and stay within the confines of a stricter budget.
“You have to be very mindful about even eating out, how much you drive — stuff like that really matters," Crystal Badu said. "It's been a tough year financially for all of us, and we can see our clients feeling the same way."
Despite the economic setbacks, Mae Badu said she will keep on smiling and keep on working like she always has. There is no other place, she added, where she would rather be as her hair salon weathers the storm.
“When it’s down, you have to be strong. You don’t need to get scared. That’s one thing about business. If you open a business and you get scared, you’re always going to keep running,” she said.
Inflation cools down a bit after a four-month upward trend
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported inflation for February coming in at 2.8%, slightly lower than expected. Good news for Mae and Crystal Badu as they have been bracing themselves for the four-month upward trend to continue.
Nationally, consumers saw a bit of relief at the supermarket with prices going up just 1.9% in one year and 0.1% in a month.
Eyes on egg prices
It's a different story for egg prices in February according to the BLS. The agency reported a 12.5% month-to-month price increase and a whopping 58.8% increase compared to last year. However, March data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated that since Feb. 28, the average cost of a dozen white large shell eggs dropped from $6.85 to $5.65 — a more than 15% decrease.
“Demand for shell eggs continues to fade into the new month as no significant outbreaks of HPAI [highly pathogenic avian influenza] have been detected in nearly two weeks,” the USDA wrote in its March 7 weekly update.
Relief at the gas pump
Filling up at the gas pump in San Diego County is on average cheaper than it was a month ago and especially a year ago. The local average is well above the national average ($3.08) but pretty much in line with what Californians are seeing across the state ($4.67).
