Business & Tech

Without Power For 2 Weeks, Robert James Salon Is Open For Business

Owners say they just got power back on Monday night.

Gabrielle Bradford had been trying to reach the Robert James Salon & Spa on East Main Street in Riverhead for days to make an appointment.

But no one answered the phone, she said, and emails went unanswered, leaving her to wonder if the salon and spa had gone out of business.

Nothing could be further from the truth, said Margaret Pickersgill, who owns the business with her husband, Ray. 

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Hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, Pickersgill said the Robert James Salon & Spa had been closed for two weeks, left without power long after the lights had gone on elsewhere around Riverhead.

"It was hell," Pickersgill said. "We had no power -- no phones, no computers, nothing, nothing, nothing."

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And, she added, theirs was the only building affected for such a lengthy period of time. "It was because we had so much water in the basement, the wires were fried."

The weeks without power dealt a financial blow. "We had no income," she said.

The building, Pickersgill said, is still without heat; heaters have been set up around the business to make customers comfortable.

But, with power restored Monday night and phone service back Wednesday, the Robert James Salon & Spa is now open again and ready for business. 

"We're here and we're ready to serve," Pickersgill said. To her customers, she said, "Please call. Everything's working, as of right now."


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