"You can't smoke a hookah mask"

Due to the coronavirus, many entrepreneurs worked underground. We asked the owners of the bar, the beauty salon and the flower store to tell how it was

After several months of quarantine in Russia, working restrictions are gradually being removed - even in the most difficult regions from the point of view of the epidemiological situation. In Moscow, restaurants have already completely opened, in St. Petersburg-summer verandas. However, some beauty salons, bars and shops continued to receive visitors, despite prohibitions, all this time. About how it was, their owners told Meduzacare (all names are changed).

The article that you read is part of our Meduzacare philanthropists support program. In June 2020, it is dedicated to poverty during the pandemic. All materials can be read on a special screen .

Valery, Bar owner, Moscow

Since the beginning of March, we felt that there would be not a very good story. There was a decline in attendance by 40%. We tried to deliver, but we have a bar, everything is connected with alcohol. They delivered cocktails, alcohol, although this is not entirely legal. We closed the main hall, the VIP hall worked on Fridays and Saturdays. They came to the deposit, but only their own.

So that there is OK on all fronts, including health, we have taken measures: disinfectors, masks, and the temperature measured; Even the tests that first appeared, we proposed to take it. Some came already with antibodies, ill. They understood this by handing over our test. We gave people masks, protective screens, but almost no one went to this. Many do not believe in the existence of an epidemic. For two days [after the official opening of restaurants in Moscow], not a single person came to the mask. No one is sick, did not die of those who have been with us. In this regard, lucky.

People reacted very poorly to the introduction of a small deposit - five thousand per person. Although everyone perfectly understood that it was necessary to maintain business. People are not that they were not ready for a deposit, they are not ready to spend money. Therefore, what will happen after the quarantine removal is a question. On June 26, we first worked as a large hall. The average check fell by 500 rubles: before there were two thousand, now one and a half.

We continued to work closed, because I want to eat very much. If we were fed, I would not work. It was not work, but a cry of the soul. There were colleagues in the workshop who said that I want to substitute everyone. But who do I want to substitute except myself?

We made it that this was not visible - quietly, calmly and without a call. We have a basement besides - nothing is visible. We did not strain the people around. The inspection and the police were not interested in us. Only once arrived, warned. Once the neighbor was not too lazy to go to the police, wrote a statement that we, reptiles, when the whole country is in danger, work. In general, it was not clear to us why the metro cannot be closed, and restaurants should be.

Almost the entire team managed to save, and now, probably, we will leave this pit.

Christina, mistress of the beauty salon, St. Petersburg

When Putin announced the weekend [period of “non -working days”], we did not work at first, like the majority. But soon they began [to work] in limited mode: [in the room] one client is one master. We decided to work, as there was a choice: either close the bench or survive. If they closed, I would continue to work at home. But I did not want to lose the workers, since the team is cool.

Our salon [is] in the yard, so we were not injured, like network salons, those who work at the passing and in shopping centers. The plus is that I am not only the mistress of the salon, but also the master. When at first I was afraid and did not work, the clients still wrote to me. I refused, it was scary to get infected. I have passed all the stages of panic. And then it became scary to die of hunger. In our manicure, a girl rents a place. She did not work for the first one and a half months, as she was afraid. And then I realized that no one would give her money, all her customers went to home craftsmen. Then she returned.

I did not have to dismiss anyone. When we closed the quarantine, I wanted to pick up the work phone, and the administrators said that they would work from the house and help than necessary. I said that I have no money to pay them now. Where to pay if they are in the percentage of income? And they said that they were ready to [work] for free, the main thing is not to close and work further together. Then I realized that such people should not be left, and we paid them a minimum, just for people to have money at least for food.

The income has decreased. We did not take new customers - and this is immediately minus 30%. There are regular customers, but again there are those who are afraid, although there are such a minority. We were reduced to rent by 15%. This is a little, but still better than nothing. Plus, we agreed that two months of the lease are on the deposit account. In August, the usual price [rent] will be. Let's see how the case will go. We are satisfied with the lessor, and we arrange him. If the second wave begins, I think we will agree with him.

We are allocating more time between customers to ventilate and disinfect everything. Of the clients, almost no one is afraid of infection. Everyone has already passed the stages of the adoption of the situation. When we started working, I was afraid that the test would come. But I decided: if so, it means fate. What is the point of being afraid and sitting [idle]? The risks are the same.

The state has made a tax return for a month in the amount of 12 thousand rubles. Really returned, although, of course, this is not money at all, but the debts above the roof. When it all started, I realized that in this country they would always spit on people.

But the crisis was not bad for me from all sides. Just during this period, we launched the production of cosmetics, we had to work in harsh conditions. I did not really rest: I slept into battle. I pumped myself in advertising and became even stronger.

Mikhail, owner of Cailed, St. Petersburg

We worked closed all the time quarantine. It was impossible to stop, then the whole business would have sagged. Outwardly, everything looked as if we were not working. You pass by and see a room with boarded up windows. Who will come to the idea that something is happening inside?

We disinfected the room after we closed. And everyone was offered to use antiseptics. In a mask, you won’t smoke a hookah. But young people mainly go to us, and they are not at risk.

Our regular customers - faithful customers and friends - were notified in advance on the phone that they would come, and once again wrote five minutes before visiting, so that we open the door. Only new customers did not come, because you never know some kind of check and people simply send people.

People love a hookah, for them this is the same habit as playing computer games or dinner, so they regularly came. In addition, this is communication. Although there are people who all the time went to us alone during the day, we also worked for them. But everyone did everything only for their own.

We celebrated our birthday several times. It was nice to see the happy faces of the people who gathered together in the bar. And everyone approached us so grateful. You can’t meet anywhere anywhere, but we are free. People were not enough. Of course, there was part of [people] that stopped walking. But many refused the hookah for the first few weeks, and then immediately returned.

Recently we opened for street mode. You can sit at a table on the street with a hookah. This is rather for everyone who accidentally passed. Inside is still more chamber, but there we still let us only let us go.

Ksenia, mistress of a flower store, St. Petersburg

When they said that we needed to close, we closed and did not come to work for a week. The full showcase of flowers remained in the refrigerator, it worked, but many flowers did not stand, and everything was gone. After that, we hung an ad that we were working for delivery, and focused on Instagram. At first [the rent for] the rent was to be removed completely, but then they changed their minds and reduced by 30%.

I arrived at the store, threw everything and prepared new bouquets for delivery. People passed by and saw how we take out the garbage. Gradually began to make small orders. Some passed by and knocked out the window. I carefully launched them or opened a window so that a person looked like that. I could still take a picture and show what is if a person was afraid to come in. There were those who knocked and said: "Can we make an order online, and you will give us through the window?" Of course, I allowed them to see the flowers and buy them without delivery. Although there were many orders for delivery. In the area we made it for free.

Our store is not network, the prices are higher. When new people began to come, I asked them why they had not looked before. Most live in this area, but earlier they bought flowers at a wholesale base or in chain stores. Since for a long time no one worked and went to other parts of the city, people passed their house, saw floral and stopped. Someone did not even notice us before.

Also in our area lives a blogger, she has 100 thousand subscribers. She came to us, photographed bouquets and laid out in Storis, noting us. Helped us just like that, in a neighborly one, although we usually call bloggers ourselves and give them flowers for this. Then there were even more orders. Sarafan radio and recommendations began to work through acquaintances. Orders began to come even from neighboring areas, as if they have no flower. Since mid -May, we ordered a full window.

If before self -isolation [we had] there were two orders [for delivery] per week, then during the crisis there could be four bouquets per day and even more. We have been working since the summer of 2019, and during the period of the crisis we [was] the highest revenue. I used to have a lot of free time at work, now it is not at all.

Recorded Alexander Sivtsova