A Corona hair salon reopened Monday morning, April 27, in defiance of a state order that has shuttered businesses deemed not essential — including hair cutting operations — for more than a month in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kira Boranian, owner of Lather Studio in Corona and a hairstylist at the salon, said she opened her doors at 9 a.m.

Five of the salon’s 22 stylists planned to cut hair Monday, while others intended to return later, she said. Some stylists weren’t coming back, but Boranian declined to say how many.

The shop would maintain social distancing between work stations, she said. And while stylists would be closer than 6 feet to clients while cutting hair, Boranian said stylists would wear gloves and masks to protect clients and themselves.

Lather Studio owner Kira Boranian stands outside her Corona salon Monday, April 27, 2020. She reopened the shop, though health orders say it should remain closed. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Lather Studio owner Kira Boranian looks out the window of her Corona salon, which she reopened Monday April 27, 2020, despite health orders calling for it to stay closed. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

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Lather Studio owner Kira Boranian stands at the reception desk of her Corona salon Monday April 27, 2020. Boranian decided to reopen her business because stylists were suffering financially and she believes it is her constitutional right to operate, despite health orders stating that hair-cutting businesses should be closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)



Riverside County spokeswoman Brooke Federico said businesses such as hair salons remain under state and county orders to close and the county — aware of the situation — notified Corona city officials Monday.

City spokeswoman Cindy Solis said in an email that Corona police talked to the owner Monday and reminded her of the health orders, while suggesting she contact the city Economic Development Department for information about government assistance. She said police did not shut down the business.

If the owner doesn’t voluntarily agree to close, the complaint may be referred to the Riverside County counsel’s office, Solis wrote.

Boranian said late Monday that she intended to open again Tuesday, April 28.

Boranian announced plans to reopen the shop in a video posted on the salon’s Facebook page over the weekend. The post drew mixed reaction, with many cheering her stand but some suggesting it was dangerous and that the salon’s license should be revoked.

“I’m not better than anyone else,” Boranian said by phone. “It’s just a decision that I made, and I didn’t make it lightly.”

Boranian said she made the decision in light of stylists’ financial struggles and because she believes it is her constitutional right to operate. Hair stylists are independent contractors who lease stations in the salon on a weekly basis, and are not paid when they are not cutting hair, she said.

“Livelihoods depend on our clients being able to get their hair done,” Boranian said.

The reopening comes after Attorneys Harmeet Dhillon of San Francisco and Mark Geragos of Los Angeles filed a federal lawsuit Friday, April 24 on behalf of several small businesses across Southern California who allege the shelter-in-place orders are unconstitutional. They contend they should be allowed to open while following federal guidelines for social distancing, a news release stated.

The suit was filed on behalf of Gondola Adventures Inc., Hernandez Productions, Inc., King’s Pet Grooming, Inc., Sol De Mexico, Inc., Wildfire Inc., Ybanz Gonzalez Inc., and Yreka Food Enterprises, LLC, the release stated. Defendants include Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and several Riverside County officials.

Dhillon said Monday that none of the plaintiffs are involved in the hair-cutting trade. But she said that more than 100 business owners have contacted her firm raising concerns, including barber shops and hair salons.

Not everyone has been willing to sue, she said.

“Some people do not want the attention from filing a lawsuit,” Dhillon said.

Hair stylists are particularly hard pressed because many are independent contractors who aren’t entitled to unemployment benefits, she said.

“These are very troubling economic times,” Dhillon said. “People are really struggling to pay their bills.”

In the social-media video, Boranian said she decided to reopen despite possible repercussions.

“I understand that there is going to be some backlash and I’m OK with that,” she said. “I’m ready for that.”

Boranian said she also realized some clients would be reluctant to return.

But Boranian stressed that the salon, located on North Main Street north of the 91 Freeway, was taking aggressive measures to ensure everyone’s safety.

“We’re wearing masks. We’re wearing disposable gloves,” she said by phone. “We’re sanitizing the chairs and the shampoo bowls after every single use.”

“If somebody touches a product, we’re spraying it or wiping it,” she said.

Boranian said she believes getting one’s hair cut, in a salon such as hers that is taking precautions, is safer than standing in line at a grocery store.

In the video, Boranian said economic hardship was a major factor in reopening.

“It’s been rough. Things have absolutely been crazy for our industry,” she said in the video.

And she said she hoped more business owners would “fight back on this.”