The Pause
In early 2020, everything stopped.
Before the world had fully named what was coming, Yennie and Eric made a decision that felt instinctive. They closed their doors, not because they were initially told to, but because it felt like the only right thing to do. For their clients. For their staff. For their families.
They told everyone the same thing: "just two weeks."
Two weeks felt manageable. Two weeks felt temporary. Two weeks felt like something they could plan around. So they rescheduled every client carefully and optimistically, believing they would see everyone again soon.
But the world did not reopen in two weeks. Instead, it only grew worse.
Like many small businesses across the country, Beautyfluff was eventually forced to close both locations because of COVID-19 regulations. Overnight, the business, which had been fully booked just weeks earlier, came to a halt. Memberships were immediately canceled so clients would not be charged. Staff members were let go so they could access unemployment support. Revenue dropped to zero.
But expenses did not stop. Rent still had to be paid on both locations.
Yennie and Eric had just expanded their business. They had committed to a new place, additional responsibilities, and new overhead, all in anticipation of continued growth. Instead, they found themselves facing an unforeseeable future with no clear reopening date and no way to earn a living. They were already in the red, just from expanding.
Six months passed. In the first weeks and months, panic spread quickly. Clients were worried about their skin, their packages, and their memberships. Some asked for refunds immediately. Some canceled. Some were simply scared and frustrated, and ended up taking it out on the staff. Staff members were panicked too, worrying about how they would survive. Everyone was afraid and lost, worried about the future.
To stay afloat, Yennie and Eric took out a six-figure loan. They had built Beautyfluff carefully and responsibly. Debt like this had never been part of the plan. But now they were in it, with no clear way out.
Ultimately, they made the hard decision to close the Flushing location to ease the financial burden. It was a painful choice. They had opened the space only recently and already filled it with plans for future growth. With moving services unavailable during lockdown, Yennie and Eric rented a U-Haul and moved everything themselves. Treatment beds, machines, furniture, and equipment had to be carried down from a second-floor space and transported back to Port Washington, with just the two of them mourning the loss of what they had thought would be the next step of their business.
At home, schools had gone online, and Yennie and Eric were caring for their son while trying to navigate the uncertainty surrounding their business. The fear did not vanish, but worsened into an endless, exhausted fatigue. It followed them into sleep. It showed up in their nightmares. Their debt grew every day, with no income to help pay it off.
And still, they kept going.
Some clients were worried about what would happen to their skin without treatments, so Beautyfluff started delivering products directly. They created facial kits that clients could use at home in the meantime. They promoted local heroes, encouraged handwashing, and later offered the limited-time Aromatherapy treatment when Beautyfluff was finally allowed to reopen six months later. When hand sanitizer became impossible to buy, they manufactured their own and distributed it to clients and staff. When basic supplies became scarce, they delivered toilet paper and personal essentials to the people around them. There was no income during this time. But they refused to disappear from their community.
Beauty was one of the last industries in New York to be allowed back.
Eventually, Beautyfluff was allowed to reopen, though only in limited ways and under strict rules. Treatments could only be done with masks on. UV light had to run for fifteen minutes after each client. It was used so often that even the paint on the walls began to change color.
COVID-19 broke them open in ways they had never expected. But it also showed them something they would never forget: Beautyfluff was never just about the treatments or the location. It was their resilience, their heart, choosing to keep going even when everything around them said to stop.
The Flushing location closed, but the story of Beautyfluff did not end there.
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