Eco-Friendly Salon Specializing In Curls Opens In Corktown
(CBS DETROIT) - It's a joyous day for Detroiter Joyell Lewis as she opens up a first-of-its-kind hair salon in Corktown.
"More curl artists are needed in the community to help teach young girls like myself when I was 19 how to maintain their curls whether they want to wear them loose, or whether they want a protective style," said Lewis, the owner of Joyola Mei Salon.
Seeing a lack of services for women with naturally curly hair, Lewis researched how to properly treat wavy, curly and coily hair, and in 2019 decided to turn her side hustle into a business.
"Clientele was bursting at the seams in year two, so by year two I had a full clientele and it's even doubled from there now," Lewis said.
She says business was so good, that she was able to secure business loans and a $25,000 cash award from the Motor City Match program, opening up her own salon.
Although business is booming, Lewis says she is aware of the current inflation and how products are increasing in cost; therefore, she's using eco-friendly products in order to save costs.
"We recycle our hair clippings, we recycle our single-use products, we recycle hair coloring, tubes, all of our products are in recyclable containers," she said.
She says being eco-friendly is the way of the future and a way to maintain sustainability so she can continue helping her clients thrive in their beauty.
"Have that joyous feeling to know that you walked outside with your raw natural curl and it's popping," said Lewis.
Joyola Mei, which offers walk-in appointments and online booking, provides haircuts, color services, extensions and styling, as well as sells organic styling products. The salon is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
It is located at 1432 Michigan Ave. in Detroit.
About Motor City Match
Motor City Match is a unique partnership between the City of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit (EDC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Competitive financial assistance is supported by a broad partnership of Southeast Michigan community development financial institutions and corporations including, Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank, Ford Foundation, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, New Economy Initiative, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Motor City Match applications are available quarterly. More information is available at www.MotorCityMatch.com
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