Farmville, Virginia is small town that may be home to as many restaurants as hairstylists. However, few of Farmville's self-taught beauty gurus have turned their talents into their own brand. While the inspiration for creating their own business or brand was different for all three of these women, they each enjoy what they do. Furthermore, these women have great plans five years from now to expand their brand to a larger audience.
Kadedra Vaughan is a junior at James Madison University studying social work and minoring in family studies. Vaughan is also a self-taught makeup artist and hairstylist who owns Shay Slayed. She says she was inspired to start doing hair from a young lady who passed away in 2014.
"Erin Hurt actually inspired me to do hair," Vaughan said. "It's a weird story, but she was supposed to braid my hair for me one day and her plans fell through. So in short, I ended up doing it myself and it has grown from here."
Vaughan specializes in braiding, doing natural hairstyles, weaves, crotchets and hopes to eventually specialize in doing dreadlocks. She said she has been doing other's hair roughly since 2014 and doing her own roughly since 2013.
While Vaughan is not a licensed cosmetologist, she said she hopes to eventually get her license after getting her masters in social work.
Vaughan says she got the name for her business Shay Slayed from one of her clients.
"I came up with Shay Slayed one day when trying to figure out a caption for the pictures of my work I was posting. I initially was just posting "hair by 'Dedra and it felt it wasn't original enough," Vaughan said. "One day a client, who calls me Shay—which is my middle name—reposted my work and said, "My girl Shay slayed me!"
Alexis Davis is the CEO of Coco Doll hair, a company inspired by the natural texture of African American hair. Davis said the texture of her extensions blend well with natural hair.
"All of my hair is Mink Brazilian," Davis said. "It ranges from curly hair to body wave to straight and loose wave."
Davis officially released her hair company on July 13, 2017. She said the process was very rigorous and involved finding a good vendor to sell her hair and figuring our her cost ranges.
While Davis primarily sells bundles right now, she said she hopes to eventually expand her business and sell more products.
"Actually within a year I am trying to launch a bonnet collection as well as an edge control and hot tools collection," Davis said.
Five years from now Davis said she hopes to have at least two different pop-up shops in two cities and hopes to do more marketing and branding to reach a larger audience.
Ajah Smith is a full-time employee at Sheetz who has been doing hair since she was 17 or 18 years old.
"My grandmother inspired me to start doing hair," Smith said. "Before her health went down, she bought me a lot of dolls."
Five years from now Smith said she hopes to have her own shop, an upgrade from the mini-salon she has set up in her room right now.
