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Minority & Small Business Week
October 2. 2013
Salon Owner an Expert in Natural Hair Styling
Amber Starks builds community
esteem with business ownership
As a child, Amber Starks used to
“beg” her mother to let her perm her
long locks of hair. It proved to be a
fruitless pursuit. By the time Starks
was a fresh face on the campus of
the University of Oregon, wearing
her hair chemical-free was only, well,
to be like “black power” but I want
our people to believe in themselves.
Huge victories like this are remind
ers.”
African American women like her
Since the law went into effect,
the tools to create economic oppor Starks says she’s had an increase in
tunities within the community.
customers who have heard her story.
“This is just one thing to show us While she says those accolades are
that we’re capable. Imagine how nice and appreciated, she’s more
much more we can do for our own anxious for the moment when she
selves if we open up our minds to hears about a woman opening up a
sion; h elp in g c u sto m e rs w ith
adopted children, and providing a
service to women who are often
times transitioning from chemically
manipulated hair.
“I’m getting something from my
customers and I’m hoping to share
something with them, that your hair
is wonderful, it’s beautiful, let’s find
how it works for you and let’s style
it accordingly, but you get to be the
one who chooses that, not me.”
Her knack for political activism
remains just as sure as her hair re
mains un-permed.
photo by D onovan M. S mith /T he P ortland O bserver
Salon owner Amber Starks is an expert in natural hair styling. Her business, Conscious Coils is
located in Vancouver.
natural.
Now, the 32-year-old Starks owns
her own salon and is exclusively
focused on natural hair styling. She
first opened her Conscious Coils
business to assist children with their
hair after discovering the degree to
which African-Americans and Na-
tive-Americans were over-repre
sented in the foster care system.
“I was like this is unacceptable,
that one, w e’re over-represented in
the system and two, a lot of our kids
don’t have assistance with haircare
and cultural com petence. So I
wanted to provide my hairbraiding
skills,” says Starks.
Located at, 100E. 19th, Suite 100,
in Vancouver, the small salon has
expanded beyond her original mis
sion with plans to move to Portland
by January of next year.
“I think that in our community,
and I would say a lot of communi
ties, hair is important, but I think that
hair has been a personification of
how we feel about ourselves in so
many ways,” adding, “I think kinky
is great, I think nappy is great, I think
frizzy is great, I think in all those
words we get to decide what they
mean for ourselves.”
She’s also politically active to
remain true to her beliefs. Earlierthis
year a bill was signed into law sig
nificantly easing restrictions on prac
titioners of natural hair care in Or
egon; Amber Starks led the charge
on that bill.
She said the legislation gives
the possibilities,” she said. “We all
have something we can do to sup-
port our people, I’m the last person
“There’s not enough recogni
tion that people are doing stuff and
they’re making change,” she says.
“I hope my business can be a con
duit for money in the community.”
“I’m just really impressed by the
people I’ve met that are doers, and
that’s what I see about our genera
tion, that we care, w e’re doing stuff,
and that doesn’t get acknowledged,
but I plan to make sure it does,” she
says.
For more information on Con
scious C oils, visit the w ebsite
counsciouscoils.com .
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new salon because of the new regu-
lations.
Much of her customer base re
mains in-line with her original mis
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