A new beauty supply store hopes to be the answer to the “hair desert” of Elk Grove, California.
Charlene’s Beauty Supply Store specializes in products for African American hair and more, ABC 10 reports. Not your average neighborhood beauty supply spot, Charlene’s will host community classes for people struggling with haircare as well and serve as the go-to place for medical-grade wigs. Owner Charlotte Haynes stepped out on faith to open the storefront, tapping into her entrepreneurial spirit, knowing that many African Americans struggle to find a supply store that meets all their needs. “There are a lot of Black people coming in and really excited about having something and someone that understands the struggle, the challenge of what you go through with your hair and having access,” Haynes said.
Many people outside the diaspora think caring for natural hair is easy when it’s the opposite. Those that live in certain neighborhoods lack the resources to give their hair the attention it needs – with stores not carrying items like braiding hair, ponytails, or certain creams. “We wear things with edge control, there’s bonnets, there’s braiding hair. So, there’s a whole assortment that goes into caring for our natural hair,” the mother of four said. She remembered traveling to places with no beauty supply stores, encouraging her to open Charlene’s along with her husband, Chris.
Haynes told The Brunswick News the store, which opened on May 15, 2023, is named after Haynes’ grandmother, Charlene, who she says was a “fighter and jack of all trades” like her. With that spirit, she was inspired to carry the family legacy. “I wanted to carry on a family legacy of beating the odds, coming from nothing to something, and letting people know that you don’t have to be rich or come from a well-off family to be a good person, make a difference, move forward, and do something that you dream of doing,” she said.
Customers are already grateful for the beauty supply store. Elk Grove resident Scira Shelton said she no longer has to take “inconvenient” trips just to get what she needs. “I don’t have to travel all the way to the south area,” Shelton said. “I live up the street… I’m glad that it’s up the street and from what I can see, they’re going to have everything I need.” Haynes understands her blues as she remembers driving almost 20 minutes just to find a quality supply store. “That’s one of the things that kind of started to make me imagine opening up the beauty supply store.”