Credit: The Beauty Suite

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One of the numerous downsides to the pandemic (aside from the incredibly obvious ones) is that many people have been forced to postpone or outright cancel almost all social events. Proms, graduations, weddings, parties; almost everything you have a reason to dress yourself up for has gone out the window, and it’s not just a bummer for regular folk. Make-up companies are taking a big hit as everyone is staying home instead of getting ready to go out. One business over in Staten Island, New York, The Beauty Suite, was especially worried about the future of their business when the writing on the wall became clear.

“Initially, we felt really bad for our clients who had to postpone their weddings, bridal showers, Sweet 16s, proms, graduation parties, etc.,” co-owner Donna Ivackovic told Silive. “We thought that as long as people postponed their events we would be OK. Then, people started cancelling indefinitely without a reschedule date, and we realized we would lose sales that we could never make up. That’s when we started to worry. We immediately started exploring all of our options for federal funding and assistance to prepare ourselves for the worst.”

The salon has only been open for two years, and despite the situation, Ivackovic and her partner Anjali Wrenn were determined not to let the pandemic take their dream business away from them. To that end, Wrenn began livestreaming interactive beauty tutorials on a variety of social media platforms for both professionals and enthusiasts.

Credit: The Beauty Suite

“Live beauty classes were just the thing. They have become a great way to connect with our followers and create engagement during a time when there is very little to be excited about,” Wrenn said.

The reaction has been very positive, and the duo have amassed a respectable following, thanks in part to their efforts to consistently promote their brand on all sites they stream on. As for their physical business, The Beauty Suite will reopen on June 27, but for appointments only. Ivackovic and Wrenn are currently brainstorming new business ideas that aren’t as reliant on social circumstances to help keep things running smoothly.

“We need to offer services that are not contingent upon the event business operating at full capacity,” said Ivackovic.