By Megan Sayles,
AFRO business writer,
msayles@afro.com
Baltimore-raised spouses Megan and Quintin Lathan will grand-open the second Beauty Plus location on February 11 at 10am at the newly redeveloped Northwood Commons Shopping Center.
The pair, a product of both the City of Baltimore Public Schools and the local Historically Black College (HBCU), opened their first Beauty Plus in the Charles Village neighborhood in 2016.
Owners of Northwood Commons Beauty Plus held a soft opening on December 26th and are now open for business.
“when [new customers] When they walk in, they don’t expect to see a black family running the place, a nice black family, a black family in the community,” Quintin Lathan said.
The Northwoods Lathans decided to open Beauty Plus after Quintin attended one of the leading conferences for black entrepreneurs, the Power Networking Conference. There, he attended seminars that focused on his opportunities in various businesses, and one focused on beauty supply stores.
He said he was immediately drawn to the industry because it could have a positive impact on people’s lives.When customers come in, they are investing in themselves and their natural beauty. So, Quintin believes that we need to come back with more confidence in ourselves.
Beauty Plus offers a wide range of products including wigs, jewelry, hair oil, beard oil, edge control, hair glue and more.
Black consumers account for 11.1% of all beauty-related spending, according to global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, while African Americans, from entry-level to retail executives, It accounts for only 4-5% of the domestic beauty industry. shop and hairdresser.
“Without representation, it’s a mess. Historically, we just have people trying to fight to have some inclusiveness in a space that we didn’t have,” says Quintin Lathan. “In the 60s, when we were fighting for human rights, other groups and cultures were financially advanced. We were the target, so everyone else was building stores and opening locations in all of our environments.We have no choice but to keep fighting.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Beauty Plus’ Charles Street location pivoted to bringing beauty products to customers. A small store turned into a warehouse full of inventory and delivery drivers.
The couple says that beauty stores are sometimes overlooked, but by March 2020, they will be essential workers who need access to the beauty supplies they need to maintain their daily routines, including arriving at work looking good. said that there was
At the new location in Northwood, the Lathans plan to recruit students from Quintin’s alma mater, Morgan State University, and Megan’s alma mater, Mergenthaler Vocational and Technical High School (MERVO).
The store is now in the same area where college students in the area fought for the right to enjoy movies and buy ice cream sundaes. The Lathans is just one of the black-owned businesses and institutions that now calls this shopping center “home.”
One day, Mr. and Mrs. Lathan want to hand over their business to one of their daughters.
“Doing business in the neighborhood that I live in makes me proud of it. It takes another level of responsibility because you know something,” said Megan Lathan.
“I have a responsibility to my entire community just because I am a member, but doing business in my community not only gives me a place to contribute, but also a standard to uphold. You can know one thing: having a business is about serving the community and being patronized by the community, so in a way we become community leaders.
Megan Sayles is a member of Report for America.
Related article:
https://afro.com/putting-black-back-baltimore-black-beauty-industry/ https://afro.com/lidl-food-market-and-other-stores-open-for-business-in- Northwood Commons/
