Regency Beauty Institute abruptly closes doors leaving students high and dry
CHARLOTTE, NC (FOX 46) - "It's gone. I don't have my starting point anymore," Sedria Nelson said.
"This is really tough, really hard, I cried so bad. I didn't know what to do. All my time and dedication, I feel it's gone to a waste, I feel like I got evicted,” Kayla Hicks said.
Student at regency beauty institute were forced to clean out their styling booth...and say their goodbyes.
Regency beauty schools are suddenly closing down. Here in #CLT one campus already has signs up telling student to come get personal items pic.twitter.com/u41fnCFbyI
— Yolian Ortiz FOX46 (@YolianFOX46) September 29, 2016
"This is still my home. It’s like I’ve been here for years, that's just how much it feels so normal to me," Nelson said.
The school announced on its website it would be closing.
"I’m not happy, We're not happy. We want to know where our money went. That's what we want to know. $18,000 to go to this school, we want to know where our money went. I had three weeks left before I graduated," Leslie Smith said.
Regency Beauty Institute stated on their website they closed because "The organization does not have the cash to continue to run the business." All this due to declining numbers of students and an inability to obtain financial aid from the department of education.
Spoke to neighboring business and where shocked to see the sign. They say they have seen less students coming in and wondered what happened.
— Yolian Ortiz FOX46 (@YolianFOX46) September 29, 2016
"They should have warned us. They should have given us a notice. So we can have a plan, none of us have a plan,” Hicks said.
79 campuses across the nation are now closed. In Charlotte, 17 students now trying to figure out what to do and where to go next.
One student says she had eight hours to finish the program but now has to find another school to finish those to get her certificate.
"Just to see they even closed is mind blowing. Cause we've been coming for at least a year. We love it. It's the most affordable thing and you just grow a relationship with the people in school here and the owners," Tiana Gaye said.
Instructors tell FOX 46 Charlottes they are trying to help their students find a new school that will transfer the credits to keep everyone on track.
Customers saying goodbye to the people they've come to know and love at Regency Beauty Institute. pic.twitter.com/5JESFkpJDq
— Yolian Ortiz FOX46 (@YolianFOX46) September 29, 2016