Vickie Burkhart has owned her business for 32 years. It was a hard hit when she had to close her salon, The New You, on March 27 due to a government order to help control the spread of Covid-19. But things are slowly returning to normal since Burkhart and her co-stylist Terry Shumate re-opened the salon May 6.

“We hope we can accommodate all of our customers but things will be a little bit different with all the new guidelines, and catering to clients will take a bit more time,” said Burkhart. “We are already booked three weeks out, and will do our best to get to each and every one of our customers as soon as possible.” She says the most common requests right now are haircuts and color.

Since reopening, Burkhart says that with the new guidelines they are only able to see 12-15 people a day in the salon depending on the service requested. One notable difference is the signage on the front door. In bold red print, it reads, “DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT FACE MASK.”

Both stylists and customers are required to wear masks at all times inside the shop in keeping with the guidelines. Already a spotless salon, along with the guidelines comes even stricter cleaning demands than before.

“We are doing everything we were before the closing, but that now includes an even more thorough cleaning between customers,” said Burkhart. “With our clients returning and the cleaning process, we are often working as much as 11-hour days. “I’m not sure how long it will take to get back to a ‘normal’ schedule."

Most businesses haven't figured out what the new normal will even look like.

“As a Christian I try to run a Christian-based salon, said Burkhart. “My customers are my family. I have missed them and have been praying for all of them during this time.”

Located at 2915 Maynardville Pike, The New You salon is open Monday – Friday. The salon can be reached at 992-1508.