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By Sunita SamarooA casual walk downtown on any given day will reveal women at numerous hair shops along the roadside of busy streets in the heart of the city, sitting comfortably getting their hair and nails done.This trend, widely known as ‘street-side salons’ and ‘cosmetology’ has slowly taken over downtown Georgetown and the women behind the work stations on Regent, America and Croal Streets, are on the forefront of popularity. But who are these women? How have they risen to ‘fame’?Kaieteur News took to the streets to investigate these innovative women, to examine the factors that led them to this street-side-based pursuit and how they have risen to popularity over the years.HIGH RENTMany of the women interviewed claimed that the high rent salon owners are demanding for work stations left them with no option but to set up ‘shop’ on the sidewalks.“I couldn’t afford the rent at the salons; they wanted $10,000 a week for the work stations. I had just finished my cosmetology course, so I just come out on the streets and try something,” said Pam, one of the many street-side hairdressers.She has been on the streets since 2010, but she did not come alone. Pam, a mother of four, and one of her nieces passed through one of the Benschop Foundation-funded cosmetology courses and are now plying their trade daily on Croal Street.“Rent around town was just too high,” Claire, who is located just a few stations away from Pam, chimed in.“The thing about it is that everyone has a story. Some of us are single parents and some of the girls are under 30. If we could do better as in get a building and work we would, but we just can’t afford the spaces around town.”“People sometimes look down on us as if we are nobodies, but if there were better job or locations where we could afford, we would. We are really just trying to make-do. We have mouths to feed, bills to pay. The situation is that we are out here doing something honest,” Claire vouched.Croal Street cosmetologists plying their tradeCultured! Mother and daughter busy at work!Seated a short distance away, Mary offered “The rent is too expensive. Sometimes you don’t even work for the amount of money they are calling for.” She is a single mother of two who travels every day from the West Bank of Demerara to the city to work.UNEMPLOYMENT     Claire has been working on the streets for the past six years and had moved from her first shop on America Street after a nearby salon owner complained that her operation was affecting their business.She was a Law Student at the University of Guyana (UG) but was forced to leave two months into her third year after her house burnt flat. Seeking employment in a field flexible enough for her to continue with her studies, Claire acquired training in cosmetology.A street-side cosmetologist attending to her client’s nailsHair style in progress!In the beginning, she said “There were a lot of critics. Persons were saying they only want to go to the salon, because that’s what they were accustomed to. Then slowly persons came out and supported.”Soon, one of Claire’s friends followed and set up her station. She said that they started doing nails at a cheaper cost to attract customers and slowly, the word spread. “We were doing good quality work,” she said.But Claire is not the only one. A few feet away on Croal Street, a UG student works along with her mother, hoping to pocket a few dollars from a job that allows her time to study. The work, she said, is flexible.MARKETABILITYThe women have set up their operations in the busiest parts of the city, ideally located around the main bus park locations. That has given them the advantages of visibility to thousands of passers-by and an open portfolio to those who are interested.Their methods of operation are very suited to what they do: by not taking on jobs that are hours-long, and by not using electricity or water, they have managed to survive the utilities of a regular salon and the bills that those would have incurred.“Some people prefer the street-side because the bus parks are right over the road so they would take buses instead of having to go to salons at different locations with taxis and so on,” said Pam.The pedicure sectionShe added that they would be more ‘flexible’ with customers, allowing some amount of credit, whereas in salons they have to take their cash up front.The hairdressers and nail technicians claim that it was their open portfolio that attracted some customers. “We do quality work and we charge less. We are careful with what we do; we ensure we sterilize and sanitize. We are creative and we suit people’s pockets,” said Claire.Mary, who is nail technician, added that they usually do hand designs, while the established salons have drifted to airbrushing their designs. She said many women seek their services simply because of the type of service they provide.A client with whom Kaieteur News spoke agreed, claiming that she came out from the interior and went straight to the street-side salon. Their professionalism as well as their pricing, the street-side hairdressers claimed, has kept their clients coming back for more.“We charge cheaper and plenty customers say they get better service on the street side,” said Pam, who was one of the first to set up shop on Croal Street. They are not ashamed to admit that they are willing to bargain with customers too.POPULARITY FROM SURVIVALEach woman has a story but the one thing they have in common is that they have all turned to this as a means of survival.The business, Pam says, has been profitable, but it depends on the flow of customers. Some days during peak times – identified as August and holidays – she can pocket up to $18,000 but some days she goes home empty-handed.“During peak time you could make like fifteen to eighteen thousand, but some days you don’t make a dollar. You can’t give up though, you still have to come out.”The cosmetologist said some of the girls have turned from controversial lifestyles and are making their way with the salon operation. “It’s not like out here you get a lot of money, but you earn a dollar a day and you can do something with it.”GAINING MOMENTUMThe street-side salon business, they said, has its ups and downs as does any other business, but persons are definitely warming up to the idea of the street-side salon.Tucked away behind a trampoline, a woman and her daughter were busying interlocking the hair of two customers when Kaieteur News stumbled upon them. They have been styling the hair of men and women with dreadlocks for years.“More persons are knotting up; they are becoming conscious and they come here to do their hair,Soccer Jerseys From China,” Jennifer said. Her daughter, a University of Guyana Student, works alongside her in between classes.She said “I like doing this and it helps with my UG fees. I joined my mother about one year now. I’m not worried about discrimination; I’m making money.” Her mother works seven days a week.Teisha, another one of the women, holds an office job and works part-time at her salon station. It’s August and she is pushing to earn enough to assist in readying her children for school.CRITICISMS AND TROUBLESThe women have said that the conversation on the street-side salon has changed over the years but some customers would tell them outright that they are uncomfortable coming on the streets. Others, they said, sometimes “turn up their noses.”“It ain’t easy being on the streets, but you got to do what you got to do. I don’t pay the criticism any mind,” said Mary.Claire too spoke of the complaints relayed by city officers: persons have been claiming that they have made the areas unsightly. She has defended, however, that they go to great lengths to ensure that the area they work at is clean, and that they sterilize and sanitize the materials they use.The women, she said, do not do jobs like dyeing or relaxing that would require constant washing. They do not use electrical equipment either. “We do things that could be done by hands only,” Claire said.Faced with the impending prospect of having to relocate, Claire hopes they will be placed somewhere accessible to their customers.Pam added sometimes they encounter problems with the City Constables and they have been told that they will have to remove from the street-side come September. “I don’t know if it’s that the salons complain,” said the mother of four.“God will provide. When the time comes, I will figure it out. Everything happens for a reason.”