Short’s Barber Shop welcomes back eager customers

Short’s Barber Shop, a favorite for many village residents, recently reopened thanks to phase two of the county’s reopening plan. As owner Sarah Short explained, it was a rough shutdown period for the business, but the loyalty and generosity of residents helped keep her head above water and come back strong.

Short opened Short’s Barber Shop on Main Street in Trumansburg eight years ago. After many years in a confined space, she moved to a larger location on Elm Street earlier this year.

“It was an extremely tiny barber shop, and I wanted to have a little more space,” Short said. “I knew this space was actually being rented as a storage unit, and one of my customers was running it, and he knew I wanted that space. So, when he decided to move, he came and told me that space is available.”

The new place required a lot of renovations, but it was all worth it for Short.

“We did quite a bit of remodeling because we had to do the ceilings, the floors, the walls,” she said. “Everything was pretty beat up.”

Unfortunately, Short had only opened at her new location for a week when COVID-19 hit, shutting her down completely. Since she spent a significant amount of money on renovations, it wasn’t long before she started facing financial challenges. Just like many business owners in the county, she struggled to support herself and her family.

To get by, Short did some “house calls,” going out to friends’ houses and cutting their hair there. But what helped even more was the generosity of those in her support system, with friends buying gift certificates for the business or gift cards for groceries or just loaning her some money to sustain herself.

“I was very blessed,” Short said. “I had a couple customers, one family in particular from Interlaken that knew I was struggling. The mother and I have actually become good friends. And she knew I was really having a hard time, and I woke up one morning, and her and her husband had emailed me a $200 gift card to Wal-Mart.”

In late May, when the county entered phase two of reopening, Short reopened her barber shop, and thanks to the layout of her new space, she was able to offer walk-ins in addition to appointments.

“The other barber shop down on Main Street, I definitely would have had to live on one appointment at a time because it was really small,” she said. “So, this is actually a blessing, and I’m glad to be back to work.”

Short said at first, new health and safety guidelines meant a bit of an adjustments to what she was used to, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

“At first, it was kind of hard to learn how to cut hair with that string around people’s ear [from masks],” she said. “But now, I just tell them to hold it over their face because I kept cutting those strings. … And luckily, this space is big enough … I can actually have six customers in here at a time, where a lot of barber shops right now are having to do appointments only and one at a time.”

After getting over that initial phase, it’s practically been business as usual. One of the few challenges Short still faces is finding the cleaning supplies to properly disinfect her business, as high demand is emptying store shelves. This was yet another challenge where residents were willing to help.

“I’ve been telling clients, if you’re out and about and you find anything like Clorox wipes or this or that, get them and I’ll pay you back,” Short said. “And one guy actually had a whole gallon of Lysol at his house, and he ran home and got it for me, so I can keep it in my spray bottle and clean things. But just finding stuff like that has been a little bit difficult.”

The village community quickly welcomed Short back, creating a steady stream of business.

“People are like, ‘Oh, I’m so glad you’re open. I’m so glad you’re here,’” Short said.

What’s more, customers have been generous, helping her make up for revenue she lost during initial shutdowns.

“I charge $14 for a haircut, and a lot of people have been giving me double the money because they missed a haircut during COVID and they knew I was struggling,” Short said. “They’re kind of just over being overly generous, which is very much appreciated because it’s nice to feel like I’m getting back on track.”

Short originally had more plans for her new space, like installing a pool table, but much of that has been put on hold. For now, she’s just glad to be back, and she’s optimistic for the future.

“My hope’s just to run a successful business,” she said. “And I love meeting new people. I’ve got some customers that I’ve been cutting their hair for over 15 years, and it’s always wonderful to see them once a month.”

Short’s Barber Shop is located at 12 Elm St. and is available for walk-in and by appointment. Visit facebook.com/Shorts-Barber-Shop-510139985690232 or call (607) 342-3579 for more information.