Paralee Boyd was the first generation in her family not to be possessed as a slave – she used her entrepreneurial spirit to sell pomegranate hand scrubs to pay for her education.
It’s a motivation that White says runs not only in his own blood, but in the DNA of his salon, Paralee Boyd – an institution striving to become the first nationwide salon franchise founded by a black woman.
“What can an effective and self-confident salon do with women who look like me? That’s my ‘why,'” White told CNN. “It’s the engine. I’m so excited to be a revolution in hair care.”
It is a revolution that has been brewing for a long time. As White described, women with thick, curly hair, who are often women of color, are not the demographic target of existing blow-dry bar franchises.
“If you notice, all of the blow-dry bars, Great Clips, Supercuts, etc. market and have built their business model towards those with finer hair texture. These companies don’t offer the products or tools and neither do no styles that cater to women with thick, curly hair, “White said.” Unfortunately, hair salons are very racially segregated. “
Piersten Gaines, the owner of Pressed Roots, a blow-dry bar also specializing in textured hair, agreed. Her Dallas salon aims to relieve the anxiety many women with textured hair feel when they walk into a salon that probably hasn’t been trained to style them.
“We don’t really teach ethnic hair care in cosmetology schools, so when you walk into a dry bar and have textured hair, you’re really rolling the dice,†Gaines told CNN. “A lot of these stylists don’t know what to do with textured hair.”
In many salons that deal with textured hair, Gaines and White explained that the blow-drying process can take all day. White said she wanted to take an accessibility step forward by trying to “expand” the process by making it more efficient.
“For years, women with thick, curly hair had to make an appointment and stay in the salon for hours. Then they were billed because they had a ton of hair,†White said. “We have to get our time back.”
Now, more than ever, this change is needed, said Gaines. Its customers are more likely to have professional jobs, travel often and have busy schedules.
“We’re just trying to meet the needs of a modern woman,†Gaines said.
When it opened its first salon in Detroit, White brought in engineers from GM and Ford who tweaked everything from the placement of the lounge chairs to the type of hair straighteners used.
Additionally, White integrates data analysis into the daily routine of the salon, continuously monitoring the time clients spend at each stage of the rash process. This attention to detail allows Paralee Boyd lounges to operate walk-in only, typically allowing customers to get in and out of the door in under two hours.
Despite the show’s success, White was initially reluctant to open other shows, wanting to focus on consolidating the corporate culture first.
“I have to make sure that the women who work with me are uplifted, empowered and realize that they are part of a groundbreaking and groundbreaking hair salon. We are changing the way women with thick, curly hair perceive them. time, their money and themselves It all starts with culture and training.
But now, after a few years of growing Paralee Boyd’s culture and mission, Dana White plans to open 100 salons across the country over the next five years, with the expansion process starting this fall. Gaines’ Pressed Roots is also expanding and is expected to open three more locations this year in the Dallas area.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic presented many challenges to the salon industry, White said she was able to use the time to remember her “why” and get to work building the franchise.
“You know how you always prepare for work on Sunday? I had six months of Sunday. And I was able to sit down with myself and be very clear on why I started this, what I wanted to do and what I had to do to get there. ”
Gaines also had to overcome his fair share of struggles. Pressed Roots had their first day of operations on March 14, 2020 and on March 16 they had to shut down due to the pandemic. But the salon’s ability to withstand such nightmarish circumstances further proved the importance of Gaines’ mission.
“It shows how much demand there is for these services, especially for this demographic who often have not had their needs met,†Gaines said. “It’s only from here.”
Although Dana White is a full-fledged pioneer as the first black woman to open a national salon franchise, she said she focused less on what it means to her and more on how she can use her. platform to empower its customers.
“As we grow, I wanted my business to embody its inclusion and kindness. I wanted women to come in, see themselves positively in the space and leave feeling good, not just with their hair.” , White said.
