BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Braiding, weaving and dyeing. That’s what the kids are into these days according to Lauren Jackson, owner of The Hair Hive on Fillmore Ave in Buffalo.
That's where she also runs her non-profit, The Learning Lab.
“We had a lot of young kids that came into our store and said, ‘Oh I want to have one of these stores one day.' We decided to start the learning lab where kids can come in and learn new hair techniques," said Jackson.
Students ages 12 to 17 can come in after school for a six week program where they learn all things hair, but they’re here for more.
“None of them actually want to be hairstylists, but they want to run their own businesses," said Jackson.
That’s how it started for Jackson and her two sisters. They opened the Hair Hive in 2020, the first black women-owned beauty supply store in Buffalo.
It started as an idea and now, they're seeing success after almost two years in business.
“Thanks to the community we were actually able to expand our store," said Jackson.
So they share their business tips with their students at the learning lab to teach them how to be successful.
“We teach them how to write a business plan and we teach them how to do the financials for a business, so we mold their business plan tailored to their idea so when they leave our learning lab, they can go out and execute that plan," said Jackson,
Students get the tips, these tools and all of the lessons for free.
“We want to build beauty and business into the minds of our children, that’s the goal, that’s our mission. We want to make sure the kids have what they need to go out into the world and do it and be successful at it," said Jackson.
The hair hive learning lab has sessions throughout 2022, click here to register.
They’re Mondays and Wednesdays after school from 4-5:30pm. And once you “graduate” you can always come back and learn new skills.
