The eyebrows. The nails. The hair.
Badar’s Hair and All salon is all about beauty.
What You Need To Know
- Looters went into salon, glass was shattered during last year's rioting
- Customers slowly returning, although the owner was urged by some to remain closed
- Rebuild of nearby Champs gives Badar Unnisa hope
Yet there was nothing beautiful about what almost destroyed Badar Unnisa’s business one year ago.
The memories are caught on video and in photographs.
Looters went into her salon. Glass from her windows and doors were shattered. Nearby, the Champs Shoe Store was set on fire. It was all during the protests after George Floyd's death.
Unnisa still thinks about it.
“It’s like a nightmare,” said business owner Badar Unnisa. “I always think about it. I don’t want it to happen again, you know.”
Unnisa had to lay off staff and temporarily close. Even when she re-opened, customers were scared to come back. Loved ones urged the owner to just shut down altogether. After investing 30 years in the place, Unnisa refused to give up on it.
“It’s coming back,” Unnisa said. “Slowly, slowly people are starting to come back.”
Still, inside and out, the plaza is not the bustling place it used to be.
Some stores are gone. But nearby crews work to rebuild the Champs Shoe Store. And that gives Unnisa hope for the future.
“Of course, I feel good that it’s going to come back,” Unnisa said. “A lot of stores are going to open here. So I hope it’s going to be normal like before.”
Unnisa is still recovering financially. With the pandemic and violence, it’s been a tough year. But Unnisa sees the beauty of still have the business. And she’s hopeful the best times are yet to come.
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