AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler
A noontime or early afternoon lull in business is not an uncommon occurrence for Hair Cuttery stylists Michele Meir, Tammy Fyffe, Tabitha Ford and Holly Mollick. Mornings and late afternoons are the busiest times at the Park Plaza salon with most every chair filled with a male or female client looking for that perfect haircut. Lately, however, there are times when one, two or even more chairs are empty. All four stylists lay the blame on inflation.
Consumer Price Index data shows the annual inflation rate for the United States is 8.3% for the 12 months ended April 2022 after rising 8.5% previously, according to U.S. Labor Department data published May 11.
The stylists said they are acutely aware that the slowdown in the number of clients they’re seeing is related to the inflationary pressure families are experiencing.
“We’re seeing that some people aren’t getting services done anymore,” Mollick said. “Some are opting out of color and coloring their hair at home. Others are learning how to cut their own hair or spacing their appointments for services further apart.”
Ford added that shipping costs for needed supplies, including hair coloring, are rising as the cost-of-living soars. She also noted that the shop is having trouble staying fully staffed. A recurring problem is that prospective hires will call to set up an interview and ten minutes before the appointed time will call to cancel.
Mollick and Meir believe that’s happening because individuals applying for unemployment benefits are required to show that they are looking for work.
At Park Plaza neighbor Honey Baked Ham Company, Tom Lumsden was enjoying a sandwich and checking his phone while waiting for a friend. Otherwise, things were quiet except for walk-in customers placing orders at the counter with employee Shannon Stry.
According to Stry, prices for honey baked hams and all the trimmings for local stores are set by the corporate office and have remained steady in spite of inflation.
“Sales are slightly down at the moment but then they always are in the spring and summer. Our sales are heaviest over the holidays for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year,” she said.
Just a mile-and-a-half north at 342 Ritchie Highway, Cakes & Confections Bakery Cafe owner Michael Brown was surrounded by cream-filled pastries, fruit tarts, chocolate-covered cake balls and other delights as he waited on a succession of walk-in customers. His inflation-related experiences are somewhat similar to those of the Hair Cuttery but have been both good and bad.
“We’ve had a big increase in the demand for our cakes,” Brown said. “However, staffing challenges, inflated prices for ingredients, and a lower volume of traffic for the lunch counter have caused us to discontinue the cafe side of the business.”
When asked if he’d ever consider bringing the cafe side back in view of the fact that locals loved the selection of homemade quiches, salads and sandwiches Cakes & Confections served, Brown answered that he just couldn’t staff the lunch counter anymore. Already shorthanded, he didn’t want to take anyone away from the baking which is his bread and butter.
“If the job market improved and the hiring situation changed for the better, I might consider bringing the lunch counter back,” he said. “As things now stand, when I’d advertise for job openings, I’d have people call for interviews and then not show up… or they’d start the job and almost immediately leave. That’s what we’ve been up against.”
Regardless, Brown is grateful for a backlog of orders for spring and summer – his usual busy season for bakery items. He doesn’t see that slowing down.
Back in Olde Severna Park, two second-hand retailers are holding steady or picking up business. Mary Ann Neal, owner of The Red Apron Shoppe at 4 Riggs Avenue, notes that more and more young people are being drawn to the store’s estate sale-based inventory as they realize they can get great value for their money.
The estate sales Red Apron also runs are doing a brisk business themselves. Currently, the shop’s rattan furnishings are the “hot” items and they’re suitable for indoor or outdoor living.
Across the way at 553 B&A Boulevard, Savvy Consignment was doing a brisk business Tuesday afternoon. Customers were immediately drawn to racks of spring and summer fashions.
However, it was hard to miss some of the outdoor furnishings displayed. A rustic island with sunflowers and a vintage picnic basket was particularly eye-catching.
Savvy owner Stacey Cassidy said inflation is having little effect on sales although costs have risen for bags and other supplies. She said there has been no need to raise prices for anything. Clothing sales remain strong as they always are at this time of year.
Cassidy noted that furniture sales generally fall off in the spring and summer and pick up again in autumn, but outdoor items are the exception. A pair of camp chairs dressed up with a watermelon print fabric brought smiles to faces of passersby who spied them through the front window.
Next door at Garry’s Grill, things were quiet as the staff prepared for the dinner hour. Giving an occasional stir to a pot of something on the stove that smelled delightful, manager Nick Bordenski said he believes the restaurant’s customer base remains solid.
Bordenski has noticed that the cost of the goods he orders is going up. He also remarked on the same sort of staffing problems being experienced by the Hair Cuttery and Cakes & Confections.
“Staffing is hit or miss every week,” he said.
Back across B&A Boulevard at The Big Bean Coffee Shop, Autumn Weslow, Paige Kaiser and Olivia Wright were still busy making Frozen Lattes though it was late in the afternoon.
Business appeared to be satisfactory as Olivia made yet another frozen drink. Autumn finished waiting on her customer and observed that The Big Bean seemed to be doing well. She added that the shop is well-staffed for the season. Still, there are a few problems the staff has seen related to inflation.
“For one thing, the price of protein powder we use in some of our drinks has gone up. Prices for alternative milks like almond or coconut are rising too,” she said. “The owners and staff have considered the possibility of charging extra for them.”
The final stop of the day was at Severna Lawn & Power at 1244 Ritchie Highway where an unexpected effect of inflation has been an abundance of gas-powered push mowers, riding mowers and other power equipment brought in for repair. According to the staff, people are holding on to their power equipment or mowers longer instead of buying new ones.
The shop is also selling parts or ordering them for individuals who are experienced enough to fix their own mowers.
Last ever Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival takes place this weekend
Blues lovers will be glad but sad to know that the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival will be held for the last time this Saturday, May 21 and Sunday May 22 at Sandy Point State Park.
Katcef Brothers, an Annapolis-based, family-owned beer distributor, Stella Artois, and the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival are teaming up with the Anne Arundel County Foodbank for a “Sing the Blues and Buy a Family a Meal” campaign. A tent will be stationed at the entrance to the blues festival to encourage $5 donations to the campaign. All donations will go to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank to buy the food. For each $5 donation the food bank can provide 15 meals for area families.
Don Hooker, founder of the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival noted that the event was started in 1998 as a way to raise money for charity. All the work involved in putting the festival together is done by blues-loving volunteers and all profits go to charities, one of which is the food bank.
“The festival has become a large event in the blues community worldwide,” Hooker said. “We’ve raised more than $1.5 million for various charities over the years.”
Reflecting on the fact that this is the final year for the festival after 22 years, Hooker said it was time for it to end for financial and other reasons.
“The people who volunteer, including me, are getting long in the tooth,” he said. “It’s gotten harder and harder to get out there on a Wednesday and work for four days.”
Known for bringing world class music to Annapolis, the 2022 Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival will uphold the tradition with performances by Joss Stone, the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, The Spinners, Samanth Fish, North Mississippi Blues, Bernard Allison and more.
For information or tickets to the festival, visit Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival – May 22st & 22nd, 2022.
