Downtown roof collapse displaces barber, neighboring salon steps up
SPRINGFIELD — Torrential rain on Easter morning left a barber shop trying to figure out how to keep its business alive after its roof caved in.
After cleaning up the mess at 318 E. McDaniel, Gavin Bolin, owner of Gavin Bolin Hair & Style, started looking for answers.
'Two days before my 10-year anniversary of being a licensed barber, this happens and it's pretty reflective to life and the cards you get dealt,' says Bolin. He got a call Sunday morning from multiple people on his way to church, including the city.
The flat roof at the building his barber shop had occupied for two years collapsed due to the amount of rainfall downtown. He went to the shop as quickly as he could with his family, and started cleaning up. He had just filled his 10th chair with a new barber this month.
'I didn't tell the guys right away because I didn't know at that point kind of what we were dealing with. I have nine guys with families, so it was some pressure like I had never felt before to come up with some answers,' Bolin says.
Answers came in the form of another salon just two minutes away in downtown Springfield. Valeria Boss, owner of AVBS at 318 S. Campbell, says hearing what happened was shocking.
'It just broke my heart thinking, if that happened to us, what would we do the next day? You know, as a business owner, we have mouths to feed. We have people that count on us and we take that very seriously,' says Boss. It turns out, the timing for her was perfect to be able to help out a fellow downtown business. 'We've been downtown for 24 years as a salon, and we have an 8,000 square foot building that we just decided to change our business model and downsize a bit.'
After mutual friends were able to put the two in touch, they came together to find a solution.
'It was a no brainer,' says Boss. 'It was just meant to be that it was ready to go for someone else to step into.' Boss reached out to Bolin, having never met him before. Bolin says it was a perfect fit for them to have the chance to get back on their feet.
'I walked in and met Valerie, and it was just an immediate yes,' Bolin explains. 'We feel comfortable here and just so pleased that Valeria has given us this opportunity.'
The businesses are now both located at the AVBS space at 318 S. Campbell, and can be contacted separately for bookings.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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