Some Houston-area salons owners hold off on reopening

HOUSTON - Hair salon and barbershop owners have the green light from Governor Greg Abbott to reopen today but one Houston owner says her salon will remain closed. Why? Tina Kizzie Penn says because stylists and clients work in such close proximity and new cases of COVID19 are still being confirmed she doesn’t believe it’s safe to open.

As hairstylists across Houston open up shop for the first time since March, if you want to see Tina Penn at her Chic Stylz by Tina salon, you’ll have to look at pictures. She has chosen to remain closed for now. "I love my clients. I love what I do but I also love myself. I love my family. I have children as you can probably hear my baby in the background,” smiles Penn.

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Penn says she made the decision not to reopen specifically with her husband and three daughters in mind. "I would be totally devastated if I was to bring this disease into my household.  If I was to bring this pandemic to my babies”. Choosing not to open just yet wasn’t easy because Penn says they could certainly use the money but she just doesn’t believe the spread of the virus has slowed enough to reopen her salon.

”The economy needs to go back to normal, things need to go back to normal and businesses need to open and I get that but I also believe we have to be wise and we have to be cautious. This is Mother’s Day weekend I want to miss this first wave of a crowd of people that will flow into the building. I work in a salon suite. I just need a little more time. I’m going to keep my attention on the scientists and the hospitals and what the doctors are saying. It’s going to be a day by day process because it’s a little too soon". 
Penn has reached out to her clients and she says they support her decision and are willing to wait until she opens.