ESCONDIDO, Calif. — The roller coaster ride continues for San Diego County small business owners like Jeni Daffern, the owner of Prestige Nails in Escondido. She was forced to close in March, allowed to reopen in June, then told to close again in July. At the beginning of August, the county gave her permission to open outside and on Monday it let her reopen inside.
She’s hoping this time it’s for good.
“I’m happy to be in air conditioning and a better work environment,” said Daffern, who gave manicures and pedicures outside for three weeks in triple-digit heat. “We got a lot of cancellations just because it's not comfortable sitting in the middle of the sidewalk having people watching them getting their toes done.”
Customers started showing up Monday morning as soon as the doors opened to enjoy a full spa experience.
“I'm just so thankful that you guys are open again,” said Brenda Longmire.
All customers were given hand sanitizer as they walked in the door and had to wear a mask during their treatments.
Daffern spent thousands of dollars after the first shut down to make her spa safe. She added dividers and spaced customers out.
Employee Yen Tran said they did everything right, making the second shutdown unnecessary.
“We feel like, really safe inside here,” Yen said. “We wear masks all the time, gloves all the time. So customers trust us, you know.”
Adding to the frustration, Daffern pointed out that she didn't have to make any additional changes for Monday's reopening, proving her business was already safe. She said shutting her doors unnecessarily put her in a deeper financial hole.
And if she's forced to close a third time?
“I don't know," she said. "I'm running out of energy. I still owe the landlord the last four months. I haven't paid them rent. I don't have any money.”
That said, Daffern is happy that her employees are finally back to work and customers like Longmire agree.
“I just feel really bad for them that they didn't have any income coming in," she said. "It's totally unfair.”
Daffern is very thankful for her customers who have gone above and beyond to support her during this tough time. And she feels terrible for the other nail salon owners who have given up and closed their doors for good.
“A lot of salons and businesses have closed," she said. "My husband’s restaurant is about to close. He got a 50% pay cut. No more money to pay. Something needs to change. Something magical needs to happen.”