ST. LOUIS – Imagine needing a quick haircut after work. By law, every barbershop closes at 6:30 p.m. But now a St. Louis alderwoman is pushing to repeal this outdated rule that inconveniences customers and hurts businesses.

“We found this archaic 76-year-old law that prohibited barbershops from being open on Sundays, some holidays that don’t even exist or under different names now,” Alderwoman Shameem Clark-Hubbard (Ward 10) said. “Most importantly, after 6:30 p.m. So, me as a proud 30-year Missouri licensed cosmetologist, it caught my eye.”

One of the voices supporting the repeal is Beverly Smith, owner of Artichely Hair Academy on Delmar Boulevard, a barber school in St. Louis City.

“Actually, it would be devastating. And the reason why is because it would not allow us to do as many clients as we need to, because people work from nine to five,” Smith said. “And we can’t fit all the clients in on a Saturday.”

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Smith’s academy trains aspiring barbers and instructors; she emphasized that the law would not only inconvenience her students but also stifle opportunities for future barbers in the city. She expressed her gratitude to Alderwoman Clark-Hubbard.

“It makes her a great alderwoman because she cares about the neighborhood and the community. To make sure she gives back to the brothers and sisters in this field,” Smith said.

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen has already recommended Board Bill 103, which would repeal this outdated regulation.

“If you start attacking them and saying they can’t be open at 6:30, you attack their business to a point where it would potentially have to close,” Clark-Hubbard said.

As barbers across the city wait for repeal, the final step in this push for change will happen this Friday at the aldermen meeting. If passed, the repeal heads straight to the mayor’s desk.

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