Even with the economy in a slump, local nail and hair salon owners say their business is only seeing a slight slowdown.

Bonnie Bryan, owner of Bon & Company in Tooele, said it’s only natural for hair salons to decrease a little in business when the economy goes downhill. She said people are willing to let their hair grow longer or style and cut it themselves in order to pinch pennies.

“I heard on the news that when the economy gets bad, one of the first places to notice a decrease is the hair salons,” she said. “I think it’s because people know they can go an extra month or two without a cut, and they can always color their hair themselves. Spouses can also cut the hair of their husbands or kids, or even their own hair as well.”

Camille Curtis, owner of A Cut Above in Tooele, said she has not noticed any big decrease in business, and added that it’s only normal for business to slow down in the fall.

“We’re still doing pretty good even though, after 14 years of working here, I’ve noticed that usually around this time of year things are slow,” she said. “However, there are people out there who will get their hair done no matter what. My instructor from when I was in hair school said that even during the Great Depression people would spend money to get their hair done, just because it was the one thing that made them feel good during such a hard time.”

Anna Keeler, owner of Anna’s Beauty Boutique in Tooele, said business has slowed down a little primarily due to the fact that her clientele is getting older and can’t make it into her shop as much these days. She said she has been doing hair for the past 42 years, and has owned and operated her own salon out of her home for around 30 years.

“Business slowed down a little bit, and I think that mostly has to do with the fact that our older clientele is getting smaller,” Keeler said. “Some of them can’t come in as much as they used to.”

Keeler also agreed that people may also be willing to let their hair grow longer or go unstyled now in order to save money.

“The economy does play a part in it, because I think now people are waiting longer to get their hair cut or styled,” she said. “It’s not one of those things you have to do right away, and people will go in when they feel like they are financially stable enough to. We still have our regulars who come in every week, but those who come in for cuts and permanents don’t come in as often.”

In contrast, Barbara Simonds, owner of Barbara’s Hair Blending in Tooele, said her business has stayed at a consistent pace since the economy went downhill. She said her loyal customer base is what keeps her in good business.

“We have had regular clients coming in for the past 20 or 30 years,” she said. “We also have people in their 80s and 90s who have to come in because it would be hard for them to cut or style their own hair by themselves.”

Bryan said this month has been slower for her, but after 17 years of owning her own shop she said she’s noticed this time of year is always slower.

“June, July and the beginning of August were great for me, but then things got slow, and September was more so than it had been in the past,” she said. “It’s really a case of feast or famine here at my shop, where you can be busy for two weeks and then not have much for a while after that. Some Octobers it has been slow because people are saving money for Christmas, or because they are deer hunting or saving money for the deer hunt. But for some Julys it has been slow because maybe more people are on vacation.”

Bryan also said the economy and upcoming election play major parts when considering the slowdown in salon visits this time of year.

“I think people get a little bit afraid with the economy being the way it is, and they are watching their money a little better,” she said. “I think people also get a little nervous right before the election too.”

Doug Radunich: dougrad@tooeletranscript.com