Despite proclaiming to open regardless of the consequences of defying a state-order mandate that closed all businesses deemed by the state of Alabama to be non-essential, The Male Room barbershop in North Shelby County did not open on Friday.
During an interview that aired on Birmingham radio WERC’s “Alabama’s Morning News” with JT Nysewander, The Male Room co-owner Scott Farr explained it took an effort from U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Springs) and Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato to persuade him to reverse course on his decision.
He acknowledged the fear from Brocato and others was that by his opening, other businesses would follow suit in defiance of the mandate.
Farr said he would take Gov. Kay Ivey at her word that she was working to have things back up and running, at least on a limited basis. However, he vowed not to go down without a fight.
“It remains to be seen,” he said. “I’m going to take it on faith they’re going to act quickly. Still — I’m not going to go down without a fight. If they decide they want to delay this thing another 30 days, we’ll be back to the drawing board, unfortunately.”
“We’re running to the end of the road, regardless,” Farr added. “I said Friday we’ve got roughly 30 days of capital left. If that’s the case, we’ve got to get back open ASAP. So, I’ll wait and see what [Ivey] has to say on Wednesday. And from where I stand, we’re going to open May 1 or sooner — hopefully sooner. Hopefully, she agrees with these recommendations, and she implements it. At that point, we’re going to reach a point of no return, and I’m not going to go down without a fight because like I said many times: If this thing fails, a lot of people are going to say, ‘Too bad, too sad.’ But from where I sit, that’s not something I can agree with.”
Farr pushed back against detractors who claimed he was in this situation because he was a bad business manager by pointing to how the limitations imposed by state government gave few options for remaining in business.
“One of the more laughable claims about this whole thing is these people who are making comments about how — ‘It must not be a good business,’ or ‘You must not manage your money well.’ Do they not understand that ongoing expenses are continuing to this day. And there’s always going to be a situation where businesses have revenues that cycle up and down, ebbs and flows. But there’s no scenario in which a business can survive with zero revenue. Try going to a bank and borrowing money on a business that has been state-mandated to close. Good luck with that,” he said.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Huntsville’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN.
