I own a hair salon. Typically, November is my busiest season. It has been SO quiet. A lot of my colleagues are also saying the same thing and have had to close up shop because of it - or get a second job.
People keep saying it will get better and the economy will bounce back but I don’t know. I am so close from just throwing in the towel, closing up shop and getting a corporate gig.
I get my hair cut by a curly hair specialist- she only allows bookings within 60 days and frequently has only one or no appointments left within that window for EXISTING clients. Potential new clients go on a wait-list. Right now she’s got an opening January 9 and that’s it. I suspect her business isn’t as affected as OPs because she provides a specialty service rather than a commodity and the top end of the market is not as affected by the economic headwinds as the middle or bottom.