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Fros Fashions and Finds: Spring Edition
By Megan Davis
The Truth Contributor
Spring has sprung and with
the changing of seasons, there are new businesses sprouting
in our community. Since March is Women’s History Month, it
is timely to highlight new women-owned businesses that have
recently opened.
Fros
Since 2007, The Kitchen
Salon has been a local household name. What started as a
website that publishes educational articles regarding
natural hair care for all ages, became a series of workshops
hosted throughout the city each year.
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Megan Davis |
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Mott Mane Mondays was a
popular natural hair event and workshop series sponsored by
the friends of the Mott Branch library and was attended by
several naturals in the community. With classes on basic
hair care to the history of black hair and even a mixology
workshop where guests could make their own products, Mane
Monday events were always informative and engaging.
After four years of being
a website and workshop series, The Kitchen Salon
transitioned to be the founding sponsor of The Ohio Natural
Hair, Health & Beauty Expo, held annually. The expo drew
hundreds of naturals and their families from Toledo and as
far as Philadelphia, Detroit, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne,
Indiana to a one day event jam packed with workshops on
make-up, couponing, fitness, style trends and much more.
It was the stage for a
host of local artists such as poets and dancers and also has
been the largest vendor marketplace for minority owned
businesses to showcase their handmade goods and services to
consumers in the Toledo area. The expo grew from once
annually, to twice annually and continued on five years. Its
impact has inspired several new beauty professionals and
business owners and event planners to pursue their dreams of
being full-time in their endeavors.
Today, The Kitchen Salon
has a home near the junction of Sylvania and Ottawa Hills,
offering a menu of services including coils, twists and locs.
Each client is serviced with organic handmade products from
the company owned by Megan Davis, which are sold in the
adjacent boutique along with a variety of head wraps, loc
socks, loc jewelry and other unique ethnic merchandise. The
salon is
located on the second
floor of 3030 N. Reynolds Rd. near the corner of Central
Ave. Appointments are accepted via call/text only at (419)
984-0395. For more information, please visit
www.thekitchensalon.com.
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Fashions
If you travel along
Reynolds Road and reach South Avenue, that
intersection will lead you to The Charming Gal
Boutique. Owned by Charmaine Galloway, her boutique
has been open just over a month. Galloway is no
stranger to business as she has owned and operated
Amazing Grace Childcare for several years, which is
located catty-cornered from her boutique. Her
business blossomed from a daycare center in a house
to a facility with state of the art transportation.
Galloway is also a published author. She has written
over 10 books, and they have been well received by
readers around the world!
Not only has Galloway
published several books, she has traveled to book
fairs and expos, and also speaks at events, to share
her passion and her approach to having a dream and
actually living the dream. If that isn’t fascinating
enough, she also has her own line of hand-crafted
jewelry that is being sold in her boutique located
at 440 S. Reynolds Rd. |
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Charming Gal Boutique
carries fashions for women size small to plus (4X) and
handbags. The boutique is open Tuesday-Saturday 12:00
pm-6:00 pm and has an online store as well at
www.charminggalboutique.com
Finds
If you continue down
Reynolds towards Airport Highway, you will find the newly
opened CCs Lyricist Lounge. Located at 958 S. Reynolds Rd.
CC’s Lyricist Lounge is home to a monthly event called
Apollo Style Fridays. This open mic poetry and music event
is designed for pros and enthusiasts to rock the mic, stage
or runway, whatever the artistic gifting is.
Apollo Style Fridays was
created by poet CC a/k/a Chawone Ardrey, who has performed
on stages locally and around the region and has recorded her
original works. Her love and passion for poetry is a
lifelong commitment to words, lyrics, prose and sound. The
open mic event is scheduled for fourth Fridays from 8:00
pm-11:00 pm and has a $5 cover charge. What’s more is that
CC’s Lyricist Lounge also offers a Little Lyricists open mic
for youth who aspire to be spoken word artists and
performers.
Before the Lyricist
Lounge, CC has hosted open mic events in her salon
Transformations Salon and Spa which is located at 1000 S.
Reynolds on the opposing end cap of her Lounge. She has
serviced customers in the area for several years from
children to color, cuts and sew-ins. Many of her clients are
also artists, which made it easier to transition to a
permanent home for poetry and music. CC’s Lyricist Lounge is
also available for private rental. To learn more about
poetry events, rentals, or her salon services, contact CC at
419-810-1341.
These black women are
blazing a trail down Reynolds Road with their businesses and
efforts to provide the community with alternatives to big
box retail locations and corporate event spaces. The Kitchen
Salon, Amazing Grace Childcare, Charming Gal Boutique, CC’s
Lyricst Lounge and Transformations Salon & Spa are only a
portion of black-owned businesses in the Reynolds and Dorr
Corridor. If you drive along one day and look closely, you
will see a healthy representation of black business in
Toledo.
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