ST. LOUIS—Today, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed and signed Board Bill 103 which removes absurd restrictions on when barbershops are permitted to do business. Prior to today, it was a crime for any barbershop to be open past 6:30 p.m. on weekdays as well as to be open at all on Sundays and certain holidays.
“We applaud the Special Committee on Reducing Red Tape and Alderwoman Shameem Clark-Hubbard for championing this much needed policy change and encourage them to continue working to relieve burdens on business owners in the city,” said Tom Solomon, Special Projects Coordinator at the Institute for Justice, who worked with lawmakers on the reforms. “The city’s old law was outdated and irrational. The passage of BB 103 ensures that no barbers have to fear being criminally charged simply for cutting hair at a time that works for them and their customers.”
The original law was passed back in the 1940s and only applied only to barbershops. Similar businesses like salons faced no such restrictions. Though this law has not been enforced recently, its existence on the books meant barbers were always at risk of violating the law.
“As a proud 30-year Missouri-Licensed Cosmetologist, I was shocked to see a law like this on our books,” said Alderwoman Clark-Hubbard, the sponsor of the bill. “Barbershops are valued pillars of our communities. We are glad our laws now respect them as such.”
“Removing outdated and restrictive laws like this is the goal of the Special Committee on Reducing Red Tape,” said Alderwoman Daniela Velazquez, Committee chair and a co-sponsor of the bill. “BB 103 is yet another step towards a more inclusive and equitable business environment. This reform will benefit both barbershops as well as their customers.”
The Institute for Justice has worked for more than 30 years to remove regulations that unnecessarily restrict the right to earn an honest living. Through its Cities Work initiative, IJ has been working with the city of St. Louis to make it cheaper, faster, and simpler to start and run a small business.