MBE2012
Blacks Losing Profits on Hair -- to Korean Companies
By Ashley N. Johnson
Special to the NNPA from the New
Pittsburgh Courier
W
hether it is fried, dyed and laid or
laid to the side; braided or loose;
kinky, curly or straight; and even
glued, sewn or bobby pinned, one’s hair is
essential to every look. According to the
Black Owned Beauty Supply Association,
the Black hair care & cosmetic industry is a
$9 billion industry and it serves millions of
African-Americans.
But while African-Americans are spend-
ing most of the money in the industry, espe-
cially in regards to extensions, they are
profiting the least. Most of the money being
made in the industry is going to other eth-
nicities, the Koreans mainly.
there are approximately four Black owned
beauty supply stores, such as Sisters Beauty
Supply, Quik-It Beauty Supply Outlet,
Nebby Beauty Supply and newly, Annette’s
Beauty Supply, but almost twice as many
are owned by Koreans, the largest being
Hair Day in South Side, Two Cousins in the
Hill District and Hair Masters in East Liber-
ty.
While they all sell hair care products and
accessories, it is the hair (wigs, weaves,
etc.) that are the moneymakers.
Bernard White, owner of Nebby Beauty
Supply in Oakland, said, “Most products
are able to be ordered easily, but there is not
a large profit margin to be made. Hair is
where the margin is. You can make $3,000-
$5,000 a day on hair sales alone.” He added,
“It is not really a hard industry to get into, it
is getting hair that is the prob-
lem. It is a cold business in
terms of the hair game. The
Koreans have this industry on
lock.”
Both Johnson and White
agreed that getting hair is a
huge hurdle, because the dis-
tributors are Korean and most
times they will only sell to
other Koreans.
White said, “I have to buy
hair through exchange. It is rough, but if I
don’t increase my hair game, I won’t be in
business next year. It is a cold business in
terms of the hair game.”
Johnson said that some Korean distribu-
tors say they will not sell to stores within so
many miles from their other clients, but
when she tried to have hair sent to her
While African-Americans are
spending most of the money
in the industry, especially in
regards to extensions, they are
profiting the least
“It is very hard breaking into the (hair)
industry, being a Black owned business,”
said Nora Johnson, an owner of Sisters
Beauty Supply, Downtown. “They (Kore-
ans) own it because they have the money. It
takes a lot of money and a customer base to
keep it going.”
In the Pittsburgh and surrounding area
Aliquippa location, which
has no other beauty supply
stores, they still would not
let her purchase it. She said
one distributor also told her
the hair she wanted was no
longer being sold, but when
she went to a local Korean
beauty supply store, that
same hair was there. When
she inquired about it she
was told that a local store
had told the distributor that
if he sold to her, he would
no longer buy from him.
She said she agrees with
location rules, “but there
needs to be regulations.
Nora Johnson, Sisters Beauty Supply, Pittsburgh, Pa.
One Korean store should
not be able to dictate the entire industry in the resources for Black owned beauty sup-
one area.” In order for Johnson to get hair pliers, advertises that it’s a premier national
for her shops, she explained that she has to organization that provides African-Ameri-
have it delivered to other cities and then cans the platform to demonstrate competi-
tive leadership in the $9 billion Black hair
have it shipped here.
Every year there are several major hair care and cosmetic industry nationwide and
shows and conferences all over the country, nationally. However when trying to contact
such as the Bronner Bros. Beauty Show, the them to find out what help they give suppli-
International Hair & Nail Show and more, ers, the website advertised a number that
that cater to the African-American con- was disconnected and they never returned
sumer. Johnson said she has attended sever- emails. When asked about the association,
al national conferences in regards to the White said, “it is a joke” and Johnson said
Black hair industry and Koreans run a she has never contacted them, but heard
majority of them and the workshops are they were not a reliable resource.
Johnson said that not only is hair hard to
conducted in the Korean language, even the
ones on how to sell to the Black consumer. get, but so are certain hair product lines that
Well what resources are there out there for cater to women with natural hair
Black owned beauty suppliers, one may
ask? Well, the Black Owned Beauty Supply
Read the rest of this story online at
www.theskanner.com
Association, which is supposed to be one of
September 26, 2012 • Minority Business Enterprise • The Seattle Skanner Page 5