BLACK OWNED BEAUTY SUPPLY STORES YOU NEED TO SUPPORT
Beauty Supply Stores are essential when it comes to the black community. When I was younger this was like the grocery store for my mother when it came to picking up products for my hairstyles. The blue magic hair grease, “just for me” perms, bobos. barrettes, beads, tail combs, etc was our go-to’s. My mother had a personal bucket that held all of these accessories for my hair. When I hit my teen years and started transitioning to styles like weaves the beauty supply store was the first place I shopped before all the popping hair vendors came along. The variety of prices and the numerous styles did the job because I was broke af lol. Walking through the aisles you see so many products that are geared towards the African American community but often owned by Korean Americans. They typically dominate the industry and pass the business down to their families. One thing that always stood out to me was the customer service. Depedning on where you live they typically cater to our community.
I lived in the hood (Newark, NJ) so we had numerous of beauty supply stores and you typically went to the store that had exactly what you wanted or who you vibe with. The majority of the locations barely spoke English, rude af, or stalk you while shopping. I get it people steal all the time but sometimes it can be offensive having someone on your back racial profiling you and constantly following you. Realistically the beauty supply store industry wouldn't be able to survive without the black community because we are the #1 consumer. Being the target customer and typically owned by Korean Americans many times they can't relate to our beauty needs or understand our hair textures/concerns. In the last few years, we have seen a change in ownership of beauty supply stores. African Americans are now taking that leap of faith and stepping into this space by owning beauty supply stores. So I wanted to share a few black-owned beauty supply stores you can support.
