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Salon Industry Workers Hold Rally At State Capitol To Raise Awareness For Reopening Businesses

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — There were plenty of signs, face masks and rally cries near the steps of the California state capitol building Monday, all pushing for salons to reopen.

"We believe we are just as essential, more essential, than grocery stores," Christina O'Brien, the owner of Beyond Cool Nails in El Dorado County, said.

"We have clients that are in need and we'd like to service them," Laureen Kastanos, a booth renter at J. Dressler Salon in Elk Grove, said.

Being shutdown is taking more than a little bit off the top for salon owners and their employees' finances. The owners of Maribou Salon told CBS13 they've suffered major losses since having to shut down.

"We're already over $100,000 in debt. We have three locations. Landlords are asking for their rent had to pay two payrolls after we closed down just because of time. It drained all of our personal and business accounts," Larry Cromwell, who owns Maribou Salons with his wife Jill, said.

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Organizers of the rally of salon industry workers from all over the state are saying their case to reopen and being essential is rooted in their certifications. Many of those at the rally cited the hours spent learning disinfecting and sanitizing practices and procedures to acquire a license from the state government.

"We use barbicide to disinfect our implements. We use clipper spray between each and every client. I mean, we've even taken the opportunity to pre-install curtains in our salon so we'll have social distancing," Breanne Lightfoot, owner of the Starlet Hair Lounge in Lakewood, CA, said.

Governor Gavin Newsom says if we hold the line, people could get haircuts sooner than they think.

"Yeah. We're within a window of a few weeks. We'll be putting out guidelines in this space for counties that can self-attest in the next week or so," Newsom said.

READ MORE: Gov. Newsom: Sports, Haircuts Could Be Coming Back Sooner As California Relaxes Some Reopening Criteria

"And then, within a few weeks, more broadly, statewide, those guidelines will be forthcoming," Newsom said.

It's something owners and employees in California have been dreaming and praying for.

"I want to go to work and it's a fear that we can't go to work without being penalized for it," O'Brien said.

"The only thing that has to happen is that we have to get back and get to work," Cromwell said.

Organizers also told CBS13 that they would follow all procedures and mandates from the state in order to reopen and protect clients.

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