Soho, Mexico (AP) A hairdressing salon in the southern Mexican state of Tamaulipas is facing protests over its business model.
The business is the only one of its kind in Mexico and the salon owner, who was born in Brazil, says she’s losing customers because they pay $8.50 to $10 a hair cut.
Her husband, a hairdressor, says they can’t afford to pay any more and they’re losing business because of the higher prices.
She says she wants to go back to Brazil but wants to have a salon with a bigger market share, so that her business can survive.
“It’s difficult because of our country’s high taxes and the low wages,” said Soho’s husband, Roberto Soho.
“We’ve got no money, we’re working hard, and there’s no money for us to hire people.”
There are only a few places in Tamaullas that offer this kind of hairdening services, so I don’t think it’s possible for me to go to other places.”‘
They’re trying to take away our culture’The Tamaulla-based salon owner says she hopes to raise her profile by selling hair and makeup in her home market.
She wants to create a niche where other people can buy hairdyles and hair products.”
We’re the only hairdresses in Tumulpa, so people think we’re exotic and it’s not our culture.
They’re trying a different way of doing things and we’re trying our best to get our customers to understand what we’re doing, so they can appreciate our work,” said Maria Vila, who works in Sohos salon.”
I think they’re trying take away my culture, my traditions.
They are trying to erase my culture.
So I have to fight them.
“She’s not the only salon owner to be forced to take action against high prices.
In the state of Guerrero, where the local hairdryers are also selling cheap hair and accessories, the city of Tlaxcala is considering a similar solution.
The mayor of Tijuana said this week that he is also looking into whether there are more places in the state where customers can buy cheaper haircuts.”
You have a lot of people in Tijuana who buy expensive hairdos and hairpieces, and they can get these cheaper prices because they live in Tlacochic [a town in Guerrero’s south] and the prices are much higher than the national average,” said mayor Jose Antonio Villanueva.
Villanuevas office says the city’s government is currently discussing the matter.
In Mexico, the government’s response to the crisis has been less direct than in Brazil.
The country’s hairding industry has long been subsidized by the government, and the new government wants to encourage foreign-owned businesses.
But in recent months, a string of new regulations have made it harder for hairderers to keep their business afloat.
The Mexican government has imposed a series of new tax rules, including a tax on haircuts above 10 centimeters and on hairpieces larger than 16 centimeters.
The new rules also have a chilling effect on hairdyling.
It means it is illegal to offer services for less than $3 per head, and anyone who offers such services can be jailed for up to two years.