The coronavirus pandemic has meant the second career change in four months for a local hair stylist. Lisa Chan-Wylie opened East Side Quick Cuts on East Main Street last October and is now looking for someone to take over the business. Chan-Wylie opened the small hair cuttery after her previous work as a hair stylist for Broadway shows and other theater productions across the country ended when all the shows closed.

Chan-Wylie bought a house in 2017 just down the street from her Quick Cuts business, with plans to eventually retire there, to be near her parents, grandparents, and other relatives.

“Retirement came 20 years too soon, though, and now I have to leave,” she said.

She says her business was growing steadily, but her unemployment compensation from her Broadway-related work will soon run out.

“I can’t lose my house. If there had been a longer extension of my unemployment, I would have the time and freedom to really build up this place, but I only have a few more weeks and I can’t put my home and personal assets in danger,” she said.

Chan-Wylie will be taking a financial hit in leaving her business. She estimates she’ll lose about $2,000 after putting $5,000 into it.

“But that’s OK,” she said, “because I learned so much. I didn’t know I could open a business, and now I know I can.”

She won’t realize any financial gain from any lease-transfer. Whoever takes over the business will have to pay almost $3,000 to cover rent and utility deposits, and state and local licensing fees. In return, the new operator gets the brand name, signage, logo, and all the salon furniture.

She’s had a couple of offers, but she says they turned out to be scams.

“People will tell you they’re interested, but they just try to shake you down for money,” she said. “They give you the run-around, and I told them I have to get out of here by the end of the month. Either do it, or get out of the way!”

Chan-Wylie is excited about her new job opportunity. She plans to move to Las Vegas, to do vintage hair-styling for weddings and similar events.

“It’s a big business out there,” she said. “People want their hair to resemble styles that were popular in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, which is perfect for my talents. It’s a niche market.”

She hasn’t gotten a job offer yet, but is scheduled for two skill assessment sessions, where one works on styling hair on mannequins, and is analyzed by salon owners for possible jobs. She also is in contact with two different agencies.

“I probably could have established a vintage hair styling business here, but no one is getting married now,” she said. “There aren’t any big events. Everything’s stopped due to COVID.”

She also says it’ll be good to be out in Las Vegas when the pandemic subsides, because the entertainment world will come alive again when that happens.

“Some of my former employees are already letting me know they want me to come join them,” she said.

Chan-Wylie hopes someone reliable will step forward to take over.

“My landlord, Doug Demicco, has been super kind,” she said. “He just put in a new water heater, and did lots of renovations.”

Demicco, who owns the Liberty Store restaurant supply business next door to Quick Cuts, will be sorry to see Chan-Wylie go.

“I don’t like to see any business fail,” he said. “But I’m happy for her that she has a better opportunity to get back into her field.”

Demicco says he hasn’t fielded any offers so far for the hair cuttery.

“People seem to still be nervous to have that one-on-one contact during the pandemic, and that probably hurt (Chan-Wylie’s) business,” he said.

Chan-Wylie says Quick Cuts seemed to fill a need in the East Side area of Norwich for what is known in the hair styling industry as “chop shops” — businesses that specialize in quick, cheap hair cuts.

“That was really my salon experience. I figured any improvements I made on this block would help everyone, including myself, to boost property values,” she said. “For some reason, there are a lot of storefronts here that just sit vacant. I wanted to see something here that was positive.”

She says she’s sorry to leave her family, but they understand.

“I’ll also miss my customers. People here are so great,” she said. “They have a Yankee can-do attitude you don’t see elsewhere. I’ve made some nice friends here, but I’ll stay in touch through social media.”

One person she’ll especially miss is the late Jason Vincent. The former president of the Norwich Community Development Corporation died from an apparent suicide in December.

“He was such a positive person, and was a big help in getting my business going,” said Chan-Wylie. “He was so patient, so wonderful. I was so sad to hear of his passing.”

Anyone interested in contacting Chan-Wylie about the Quick Cuts business can leave a message on her Facebook page, or call her at (619) 315-4905.