'The wait time is so unbearable': Regina salon closed after Lang's fire almost ready to re-open
Jen Dubois' Miyosiwin Salon Spa had barely been open one year when tragedy struck.
Their neighbour, Lang's Cafe, burned to the ground in April 2018. The salon suffered smoke and water damage. None of the equipment was salvageable. There was about a foot of water in the top floor of the salon and more in the basement.
Dubois has been itching to reopen ever since.
"The wait time is so unbearable," she said.
Dubois said that there were a lot of hoops to jump through and a lot of questions.
It was a whole new world for Dubois. There were adjusters, landlords, construction workers, insurance documents, engineers.
Her first order of business was taking inventory.
"Right after the fire, I was here for weeks going through everything and trying to make sure I had everything itemized," she said.
It took months for the insurance adjuster work out all the coverage details, including lost wages for her employees.
"It was a lot of detail, paperwork that I had to go through," Dubois said.
The future
Dubois used the time to refocus on what she wants her salon to look like. She also decided to change some of the product lines she offers. She and a few of the staff are also taking training courses to help better manage the salon.
She said she got support from mentors and other business owners.
"I think we had about four or five salons reach out to us and offer us space to work out of," she said.
She didn't take up those offers because of insurance but that she was surprised and appreciated it.
The salon doesn't have an official reopening date yet, but Dubois said she hopes it's before the end of the year.
"I really miss the interaction with our clients," she said. "We still have so much more that we want to share with the community."
