On July 13, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the mandatory closure of barbershops, hair salons, nail salons and personal care businesses, along with fitness centers, restaurants, movie theaters, places of worship and indoor malls, in a bid to prevent further spread of COVID-19. 

“This virus is not going away anytime soon,” said Governor Newsom. “I hope all of us recognize that if we were still connected to some notion that, somehow, when it gets warm, it’s going to go away or, somehow, it’s going to take the summer months or weekends off – this virus has done neither.” 

This setback comes after the state largely reopened salons and other indoor services mid-June. Now, barbers and shop owners have had to go backwards, closing their doors and cancelling appointments, unsure of when these reinforced measures might be lifted again. Our thoughts go out to all those affected and hope that services will be able to resume in the coming weeks. 

Sport Clips Haircuts founder Gordon Logan has announced that the board of directors has elected Edward Logan to succeed him as the new CEO of Sport Clips Inc.

Gordon Logan said: “Edward has grown up in the business and played a key role in the company’s growth since he joined full-time in 2010, setting new standards for excellence as president and chief operating officer. It’s been rewarding working closely with him these past 10 years, and his leadership during the COVID-19 crisis has been exemplary… I am confident he will ensure the championship experience we deliver for our exceptional franchisees and clients will exceed expectations.”

In his early work with Sport Clips, Edward oversaw the company-owned stores, with many of them becoming top performers under his care, as well as working to pioneer company-wide innovations still used by Sport Clips today.

He said: “I am humbled by the opportunity to serve Sport Clips’ clients, stylists, franchisees, and central support team. It’s something I’ve dreamed of and worked toward for many years. We will rise above the current challenges everyone is dealing with, and we will do so by continuing the values-based legacy of Sport Clips that makes everyone within Sport Clips feel like family, that Gordon and Bettye created for us all.”

To find out more about Sport Clips, visit their website here.

The new BabylissPRO CustomFX puts unlimited possibilites at your fingertips with fully customizable components. Choose pops of color, flashy metals, your blade of choice, to create a clipper that is uniquely you.

To start creating your perfect clipper, download the BabylissPRO CustomFX app, which allows you to turn it, enlarge it, personalize it – component by component.

There are a range of color and metal options on an easy-to-use app and unlimited possibilities!

Download the app for Apple here.

John Mosley, also known as Popular Nobody, has built an incredible career for himself as a barber and international educator. Now, he is using is influence to give back to the community by launching his own foundation, which will help support aspiring beauty professionals as they set off on their new career journey.

“It is our mission to ignite the power of tenacity and humility by creating opportunities for successful careers in the beauty industry and beyond,” says John.

The Nobody Way Foundation believes in a future where your place in the fashion and beauty industry is determined by your talent and not your zip code. Where access to top-tier education and industry-leading mentors is limited only by your own work ethic. Where communities prosper because dreamers and do-ers discover a career path that matches their passions, and where the humble and tenacious are the innovators of our future and the champions of our communities.

So, how is the foundation helping to create this future? By partnering with top-tier educational institutions to offer scholarships and structured opportunities for aspiring barbers and cosmetologists and by building strong support and mentorship opportunities for aspiring barbers, cosmetologists, and the broader community members it serves.

The unifying focus of the Foundation is community. It exists to build a community that celebrates the hard-working and humble who are dedicated to moving their communities forward – together.

To find out how you can support the foundation, visit https://www.nobodyway.com/

Some good news for barbers, stylists and beauty professionals as Schedulicity has announced that they will be waiving their fees one last time.

Whether you have been using them for years or are just signing up, you can use all Schedulicity features for free until September 1, 2020.

A social media post on 25th June said: “We hope that this will help lighten the last few months’ financial burdens. We also know that to really use our best features – and to see how valuable they are – you need to be open and booking again. So take your time!”

This is one of many actions that the team at Schedulicity have taken to support the industry in these uncertain times. To sign up or to find out more about their services, visit https://essentials.schedulicity.com/

Today, Monday 22nd June, barbershops and salons across both New York City and New Jersey are finally able to reopen their doors as they reach the much-anticipated second reopening phase.

One of the last areas in the US to reopen, this news will be warmly welcomed by both barbers and clients, with nail salons, spas, tanning salons and tattoo parlors also given the go-ahead to reopen.

New safety standards including increased hygiene practices will be in place to keep clients and staff safe, with many shops opening initially with a reduced capacity in order to adhere to social distancing.

BarberEVO welcomes this news and wishes New York and New Jersey well on their return to work.

Andis Company and Central Standard Craft Distillery have come together to offer FREE Sanitizer and Maintenance kits for barbers to help them get back to work.

Andis Company is contributing their trust CoolCare Plus Spray and Clipper Oil along with a bonus 6-pack of Andis x Uppercut Deluxe Pomade.

Central Standard has started producing hand sanitizer instead of spirits and will be contributing three bottles of sanitizer to the kits.

To help barbers get back to work, Andis and Central Standard are providing free Sanitizer & Maintenance kits to the first 600 barbers to register using the form here.

Schedulicity continues to support the hair and beauty industries with its #SchedulicityCares grants after updating the way the program works in order to support as many people as possible during this global pandemic.

After launching on April 1, the team have been giving away a $500 grant every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with any Schedulicity business can apply.

This week’s winners included JuKenya and Kela from RSOG Salon, who blessed her client, who is an essential worker and is on the front lines. The next recipient was About Face Skin Care, who gave back by making meals for families with children that live in local motels. The third and final recipient was Ashley of Holy Hands Massage. Even though she was closed, she was sharing self-massage tips to help you sooth your body as well as stretch.

Keen to continue to share advice and information with their customers, Schedulicity will be holding another Town Hall on Thursday June 18 at 9pm EST/6pm PST, with Lee Resnick leading a panel made up of some of the biggest names in barbering including Marcus Harvey, Mari de Monte, Alan Lipman, Brittany Fitapelli and more. Sign up to join the town hall here.

To find out more about #SchedulicityCares or to apply for the grant yourself, click here.

Barbershop management and point of sale system software company, Squire Technologies, have raised the substantial sum of money as part of a series B round of funding.

Series B funding is a round designed to taking a business to the next level, beyond the development stage. With this latest round of funding, the firm has now raised over $46.2 million to date.

CEO and co-founder Songe LaRon commented, “Small businesses are hurting right now. Fortunately, barbershops are well-positioned to thrive in an economic downturn since people will always need haircuts.”

Company President and co-founder Dave Salvant added, “Our goal has always been to put our customers first and be a resource in times of need.”

The company have also launched a new website designed to help barbers in North America and in the UK. Visit : https://www.helpbarbershops.com for more information.

After a long meeting with the State of Connecticut, CT Barber Expo founder Jay Majors has made the decision to push the date of the 2020 show to October 10-12.

The floorplan is behind updated for vendors to allow social distancing, there will be sanitation stations spread throughout the facility and have made the decision to use two rooms rather than one in order to space out the entire event, as well as minimizing the amount of competitors on the stage – giving those that compete an even better opportunity to possibly win a trophy or a Rolex.

On Saturday, October 10th, the annual Barber Grammy Awards will take place at the Ballroom of the Connecticut Convention Center, then across Sunday 11th and Monday 12th, there will be range of education seminars as well as the Barber Battle & Expo.

For more information, visit www.ctbarberexpo.com