A conversation with a local small business owner

A woman’s story of overcoming personal and professional trials during the coronavirus pandemic

Jovan Tesone spent eight months eagerly awaiting the birth of her first-born son.

As she would highlight and snip at her clients hair in her salon, The Artist House, she gushed to people in her chairs about how excited she was to start a family.

Jovan Tesone poses in front of her chair. Tesone is the owner and primary hair artist at The Artist House in Somers, New York.

However, March came and the baby boy was almost ready to be born. But the coronavirus pandemic was going to quickly present itself as a roadblock in Tesone’s plans.

Amid preparing herself for motherhood, temporary shutdowns of non-essential businesses began, leaving Tesone jobless and concerned for the birth of her child.

Tesone’s favorite pair of scissors for cutting hair. Tesone was not allowed to cut hair for several months during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tesone’s husband, Justin, also owns a small business in the same quaint town of Somers, New York.

He manages one of the most successful restaurants in the town, a high-quality burger restaurant beloved by residents of the area.

When Tesone realized the seriousness of the coronavirus, she said she was confused and worried about the unknown effects of the virus on pregnant women.

Tesone disinfects her chair after clients leave for the day. Tesone put new rules and regulations in place for her staff, so customers feel safe coming in during the pandemic.

“Leading up to the point before we closed, I was super anxious about being around people,” Tesone said. “It was definitely stressful. I had a lot of fear for not just myself, but my baby.”

Tesone said she was initially nervous about the fact that her husband may not have been able to be there to watch her give birth, but he ended up being able to be with her.

She said the pregnancy went very smoothly.

Two hair products sitting behind the washing station. Olaplex is a luxury haircare brand.

After spending her quarantine focusing on being a mother and educating herself on hair, she said she began to prepare for reopening the salon under several restrictions.

She said New York State did a great job explicitly laying out the guidelines for salons reopening, so she did not have to worry about clients pushing back against any of her rules.

Several bottles sit behind the reception desk for clients to purchase. Most of these brands are high-end, and are only available in certain salons and stores for purchase.

Tesone said the entire salon had to undergo changes to prepare for new phased regulations.

She said the salon is currently only operating at 50% capacity and patrons cannot enter until they are called by the receptionist to come into the building.

Tesone said she does not expect social distancing regulations to be lifted any time soon.

She said her clients feeling safe is the most important thing to her, and having these regulations in place gives patrons peace of mind when entering the salon.