b'Imagine. A place for everything.and everything in its place.info.astraubdesign.com www.astraubdesign.com MONA LISA CUSTOMPICTURE FRAMING75 OFF 973-762-2777 monalisaframing.com$ Framing PackageComplete this ad!withAnthony Garubo still cuts the hair of his favorite customers, including his granddaughter, 7 Highland Place Ella, shown here when she was younger.: Maplewood, NJ 07040 the salons business practices they im- accommodatetherapistsordoctors. Open: Tues.Sat. 10am6pm mediately qualified for unemploymentAustin coped with the changes to her 11-15-2022 Closed: Sunday, Monday and for the extra monthly benefit of- staffand the need to hire additional fered through pandemic funding. Aus- stylistsby collaborating with Thomas tin got to work applying for PPP loans,Osborn,alongtimehairstylistand filling online orders, figuring out theeducator, who now works at the salon differences in PPE requirements, andseveral hours a month and teaches its working out when and how the salonentire cutting program. Garubos dedi-could reopen. cation to training its staff remains.By July, Garubos was back up andThe generational shifts in style were running, but everything had changedevery bit as significant and are still be-in the interim. In a way, the pandemicing navigated. Its been so challenging served as catalyst for the handing oftowalkagenerationalline,Austin the business from father to daughter.concedes,joking,Donttalktome Though she still consults her father onabout the dress code or the music.every decision, and though she says heWhile her father continues to insist is very much involved and likes to beon wearing black every day he is in the involved, Austin is now the compa- salonhe still periodically does the hair nys managing partner. And her fatherof favorite customers, still invigorated lives in Florida six months a year. by the process of giving a particularly Thechangesinstaffandculture,good cutthe rest of the staff generally meanwhile,wereequallysignificant.dress more casually, and eclectically.Austin reckons she lost a third of herOn the day of her interview, Aus-seniorstaffduringthelockdown,tin wore a black top that would have alossespeciallysignificantbecauseperfectlysatisfiedherfather.Butshe those stylists also were mentors to thecomplemented it with a pair of skinny younger staff. Nearly all of those whojeans that were ripped at the knees and returnedhadrethoughttheirpriori- skateshoesherdadprobablywould ties. People wanted, and continue tonot have approved of. want, a better work-life balance. ManyShehadherhair,grayingatits no longer want to work full time; oth- front, pulled off her face but otherwise ersdontwantSaturdayshifts.Stillunfurled in a cut that was both effort-others need time in their schedules toless and completely stylish.44/ matters magazine / fall 2022'