September 12, 2007
The Hotel Chelsea's Suite 303
The Observer revisits The Hotel Chelsea in a piece about a long-time resident who runs a salon out of the building.
April Barton cuts hair out of Suite 303 in a salon that fits right in at the legendary building, and the cachet of running her business there isn't something she necessarily wants to give up. Recently, however, new management told her that she may be facing a massive rent hike.
An otherwise “gracious” representative of the hotel’s new management group personally informed her of the looming markup during a recent face-to-face chat.She has other ventures that may help her pay the bills though, and we're guessing someone who was once invited to join U2 on a worldwide tour (and declined) has a few tricks up her sleeves. If not, and her departure is one of many amongst residents, we're wondering where "the new Hotel Chelsea" will be...“It was told to me that it would be a $30,000-a-month venture for me to continue my business in this space,” Ms. Barton said—a daunting sum even for someone who earns as much as $300 per haircut.
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$300 for a haircut? Ridiculous.
$30,000 to rent the space? Ridiculous.
They're both criminals.
Shock, horror. A business raises its prices, and another business has to decide whether to be a customer or not.
What's the big deal here?
if she auctioned off that couch she'd be able to pay rent for a month.
Please. If this rent hike didn't involve famous people, nobody would be talking about it or even care.
they should jack her rent through the roof for running a business @ residential rates. she's as bad as a street vendor setting up shop in front of rent paying store.
she cut my hair once and it didn't turn out so well.
Let's do the math. At $300 a pop she would have to cut 100 heads a month to just pay the rent. A hundred heads would take approximately a hundred hours. How long does a haircut take? Thats about two and a half weeks work max. What's the overhead other than rent? Witch Hazel refills?
Without the Chelsea cache she ain't nothing but a $14 shampoo and cut barber.
Why are you guys being such haters?
1. According to poster #7 she'd have to work at least 21/2 more weeks a month, -more like 3 given clancelled appts, turnaround time, going outisde once a day so she does not go insane etc - just to make the rent increase- not even counting what she pays already in rent or the tiny issue of her getting paid for her time - and you are giving her a hard time?
2. Tons of people charge 300 or more for haircuts in NYC, you live in one of the most expensive cities in the WORLD get over it, it doesnt make HER evil ... Also this doesnt just affect her-believe it or not, other people also cut hair in the Chealsea hotel for substantially less- what are they going to do?
3. As for jacking up the rent for running a business in a residence, who exactly is she hurting, please explain to me? And hasn't the management known about this for YEARS, so they have already de facto given permission for that use of the space?
4. And arent interesting/ unconventional things like haircuts in people's places and street vendors WHY YOU MOVED TO NYC??? or is it just to be negative and snarky?
geez!