Katossa Glover Opens The First Black Woman-Owned Full-Service Salon In North Carolina Mall

The first full-service Black-owned salon in Charlotte's Northlake Mall is earning a round of applause from its customers.

Katossa Glover’s hair salon is the first full-service salon in North Carolina’s Northlake Mall.

The shop welcomed clients to the location during a Nov. 12 grand opening. According to Queen City News, Glover has been the owner of Applause! Hair Designs since 2014, and in 2020 she decided to take her shop to Northlake Mall.

Glover has overcome several odds and worked her way to success to become the thriving Black business owner she is. After securing the prime retail spot for her salon, Applause! Hair Designs, her entrepreneurial dreams came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, “when we reopened, our clients rushed the door,” Glover said. “So it’s the support of not only the hair salon clients because those clients are now coming here because they were so excited about the nail salon opening. So, it feels like we have our own community here in this corner.”

Glover said she named her salon Applause! because she believes it’s how her clients should feel when they leave: “that they’re worth it.”

Tracey Pickard, a loyal customer of Glover’s, told Queen City News, “I would describe Katossa as an anchor. You can always, you can take a breather because of your schedule or just life hits. But she’s always there to welcome you back and to pick up where she left off.”

For this inspirational entrepreneur, seeing her vision come alive is like a dream come true.

Glover said everyone is welcome at her salon and that her shop is “not just about us having a Black team or having Black clients.” She wants to be there for Charlotte natives and give back to the Charlotte community as a whole, no matter what that looks like.