Watch: ‘Don’t Forget About Us’ – Mum And Daughter Sliema Hairdressers Plead For Help From Construction
Mr Scissors, a small family-run hair salon in the centre of Sliema, has been open for the past 40 years but its current occupants fear the immediate future.
Pat Micallef, whose late husband Frank founded the salon, and her daughter Tasha, spoke to Lovin Malta about the risk they face from the impending development of a derelict building directly above their semi-underground salon.
While they are in favour of the project and uplifting the area, they are concerned at the impact it will have on their business in the interim.
They warned that although demolition works have yet to begin, they are already facing some problems after a piece of wood with a nail jutting out fell from the balcony and nearly landed on Pat’s head.
View this post on Instagram
And with demolition works looming, they fear that their troubles are yet to begin at the salon they rent out.
“We definitely can’t continue performing while works are underway,” Pat said. “It would be insane. We’re a semi-underground salon and we’d get all the exhaust from any heavy machinery directly into the salon, which is a no-go. Then there’s the debris, scaffolding, daylight, everything.”
“Even though I’ve been told that it won’t impact us structurally, this is an old building on Maltese slabs with old beams. How much pressure can this building take?”
Tasha warned that the works will spoil the relaxing experience of visiting a hair salon.
“Imagine getting your head massaged while washing your hair, which is the best part, and hearing digging and probably workers swearing and everything around you,” she said.
Pat and Tasha are urging the developer to take them into account and compensate them, such as by offering them an alternative salon they can rent out for the duration of the works.
“Anything can go wrong and I don’t want to witness the stress of it all,” Pat said.
“We always wait until there’s an incident, and then it’s mea culpa but I don’t want to be a part of that. All we want is some support from the new owners.”
“Two families are surviving on a small business. So carry on with your business but let us carry on with ours, it would be a win-win scenario.”
Both Pat and Tasha clearly have an emotional attachment to the old salon, which survived its founder Frank’s passing in 1997 and boasts an extremely loyal clientele.
“Some of my current clients were my husband’s clients and they have remained faithful throughout,” Pat said.
“Some clients come here from Siġġiewi, Rabat, Gozo, it’s amazing. Our clients become friends and part of the family. Even walk-ins say there is such a good aura around this place.”
And Tasha grew up in the salon, going from colouring dolls’ hair as a child while her mum worked to working by her mother’s side.
“I’ve literally been here since I was in my mum’s stomach,” she said. “My mum didn’t even pay for babysitting. She would just buy me a new doll everyday so I could play with it here and colour its hair because it cost less than babysitting, and I would just stay quiet here.”
“If something had to happen to this place, it would destroy me because, although it’s very small, it has a very big heart.”
READ NEXT: Watch: ‘I Was Raped, Impregnated And Forced To Abort’ - Human Trafficking Survivor Sits Down With Lovin Malta
