Small Business Spotlight: The Pomade Shop

1. What is the name of your Business?

The Pomade Shop

2. Where is your business located? 

Brooklyn, NY

3. Business' Website: www.thepomadeshop.com

   

    Facebook:   www.facebook.com/thepomadeshop

    Twitter: @thepomadeshop

    Instagram: instagram.com/thepomadeshop

    Pinterest:  pinterest.com/thepomadeshop

4. Are you the owner?

 Yes

5.  Briefly tell us about your business:  

The Pomade Shop provides all-natural hair pomades, shampoos and conditioners.

6.  How did you come to be in this line of work?  

Pomades are my favorite type of styling products.  One day, I did a search to see if a store that only sold all-natural hair pomades existed.  When I couldn’t find it, I decided to create it.  The shampoos and conditioners were added because customers asked for complements to the pomades

7. How long have you been doing this? 

One and one-half years

8. Who would benefit from your product?

Anyone who is looking to encourage hair growth, hydrate dry strands, add sheen, tame frizz, fill in thinning edges, and seal moisture into the hair.  The products work on curly, kinky, and wavy hair types.

9. How can our fans place their order or contact you? 

Orders can be placed at www.thepomadeshop.com. I can be contacted at thepomadeshop@gmail.com

10. Any current specials or event you want to share with our fans?  

We are coupon code sponsors for International Natural Hair Meetup Day, so everyone can receive a 20% discount on all full-size products by entering coupon code INHMD20 at checkout.  The coupon code is valid until June 30.

    

I Am Mixed Giveaway WINNERS!!

Our I AM MIXED Giveaway is officially closed!!

WOW, thanks to everyone who participated and have constantly shown support not just to our blog but to this amazing book as well!!  

After more than 400 entries, here are your winners:

FELICIA ANN MARTINEZ

RENEE JEAN CHARLES

The Prize:

ONE signed I AM MIXED Lithograph, signed by Garcelle Beauvais, Sebastian A. Jones and illustrated by the talented James C. Webster!!  

WINNERS: Click I AM MIXED LITHOGRAPH to choose which Lithograph you would like to receive.

WINNERS PLEASE CONTACT US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! 

Small Business Spotlight: ME2KIDZ

1. What is the name of your Business? 

     Me 2 Kidz

    

2. Where is your business located? 

   We’re online line only, for now!

3. Business' Website:  http://www.me2kidz.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Me2Kidz

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Me2Kidz

    Instagram: http://instagram.com/me2kidz

    Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/me2kidz/

   

4. Are you the owner? 

     Yes, my name is Linnea.

5.  Briefly tell us about your business:

     We are a line of children’s tshirts, designed with characters that have curly hair, like your fans. Like myself as a child. Like lots of kids out there who do not look like the characters you might see on a tshirt if you walked into a children’s clothing store.

6.  How did you come to be in this line of work? 

     Well, I have a god son who I spent a spent a lot of time shopping for (yes, he’s spoiled!). While shopping I realized that any character tshirt I liked for him, depicted characters with fair skin and/or straight hair. So I started looking at girls graphic t’s, same thing. I thought it only fair that kids like him be able to wear clothing that shows people like them.

7. How long have you been doing this? 

   We just started in April 2013. I’ve been sitting on the idea for a long time and finally decided to just do it.

8. Who would benefit from your product? 

   Any little girl with big curls! (We’re working on something for the curly haired boys too!)

9. How can our fans place their order or contact you? 

   On our website, go to the shop page and make your selection. You can contact me at me2kidz2013@gmail.com

10. Any current specials or event you want to share with our fans? 

      ME2KIDZ will be having a giveaway on June 10th, 2013!!! STAY TUNED for that!! 

         

 

         

 

Small Business Spotlight: Strands & Company

1. What is the name of your Business?

Strands & Company

2. Where is your business located?

Online shop headquartered in Austin, TX

3. Business' Website: www.strandsandco.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strandsandco

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/StrandsandCo

   Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/strandsandco

   OTHER  Social Media : YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/StrandsandCompany

4. Are you the owner?

Yes

5.  Briefly tell us about your business:

Looking for natural products for curly hair or textured hair? Seeking natural and organic skin care solutions? Strands & Company is proud to offer you an ever-growing selection of natural hair and skin care from reputable makers who share our vision of bringing you products that are safe for your body and provide results. Some of our products are USDA Organic-certified.

6.  How did you come to be in this line of work?

Strands & Company was born from my own personal hair journey. Managing my ethnically-mixed, textured hair has been an interesting road to travel - some parts of my hair are wavy, some parts straight, some parts tightly coiled, some parts frizzy. My hair has been chemically relaxed, frequently blow dried, and everything in-between.

After noticing my hair was thinning several years ago, I took a variety of actions to try and stop the issue. I stopped using chemical relaxers on my hair, I flat ironed and blow dried less. Less hair was falling out after making these changes, yet my hair was still coarse, dry and easy to break. Apparently, I had stopped my hair from abandoning ship... but it just didn't feel healthy.

So, I started seeking out products designed to moisturize and pamper textured or curly hair, with the added bonus of less harsh chemicals. It wasn't easy to find what I was looking for but after finding and trying a few natural products, I noticed an even bigger change in my hair - it was softer, easier to manage and most importantly, it was growing back!

I felt sure there must a store out there, focused on natural hair care brands for textured hair. While I found individual textured hair brands, and some online stores tailored to natural products, what was missing was a shop that was dedicated to both - natural products for textured hair. So I started Strands & Company, to bring a store like that to other people who had needs like mine.

7. How long have you been doing this?

I started working on the shop at the start of this year (2013).

8. Who would benefit from your product?

·         Someone with textured/curly/kinky/coily/frizzy hair who is looking for products with a high concentration of natural and organic ingredients.

·         Someone interested in skin care products made from primarily natural and organic ingredients.

9. How can our fans place their order or contact you?

Through our website, strandsandco.com.

10. Any current specials or event you want to share with our fans?

#1:
 I’d like to offer your fans a 10% discount off any order. They can use the code CCNS10 at checkout and they will receive 10% off their entire order. This discount is good through June 7th!

#2:
Sign up for our newsletter and be entered in a drawing to win the book “Better Than Good Hair” by Nikki Walton (aka CurlyNikki)

 

Book Review: I AM MIXED!

“I Am Mixed,” Written by Garcelle Beauvais and Sebastian A. Jones.

These authors gave me the honor of reviewing their book and I must say I am thrilled to do so.
 
The book was illustrated by James C. Webster, and his work is fantastic. The pictures really bring the words to life and help tell this wonderful story. 

The story is of two siblings that are biracial and attend an ordinary school in an ordinary town in this great country. While at school, "Nia" is asked by her classmates, "why is your hair not straight like Sally’s?" Her response comes from her pride and loving feelings she feels for herself because her mother has let her know how special she is, how wonderful it is to be mixed with everything nice. Her mother would say to her, “Your skin is the night and your eyes are the stars. Your smile is the moon that kisses my heart.” This is a story about love, self confidence and knowing how special each one of us is.
 
This book is great for young readers, as the short sentences on each page make it easier for them to read on their own. However we had a great time reading the book out-loud together.

I love reading books that sound like a poem and this one fits that build.

While I was reading this book to my children, my six year old son, Little B., and my four year old daughter, Ms. Bree, I could not help but notice that Ms. Bree had a smile on her face the entire time I was reading. Her smile said more to me than I can ever put into words. Bree fell in love with “Nia” and instantly pointed at the picture in the book of the boy and girl and said, "Me and Billy mama!” My daughter liked it so much we read it four times.

 

James C. Webster did a great job in capturing the children’s big beautiful smile on every illustrated page. They beam with self-confidence and pride. Not even when they are asked by their classmates, why are they different, did that smile turn into a frown. 

Overall, this is a great book about loving one’s self and how wonderful it is to be of mixed races. As some of you may remember, my six year old son came home from school once and said, “I don’t want to be brown like daddy. I want to be white like mommy!” I think that reading this book will help build our little ones' self-acceptance and build their confidence. As parents of bi-racial children, we know how important that is because the rest of the world doesn’t know what we know, that being mixed is a lovely thing that is made with everything nice and sweet and it can’t be beat. 

Buy this book for your children, your friends, your church and even your school. The book will truly be a blessing to all who read it.

Here is how you can own your own copy:

“I Am Mixed” can be downloaded now via iBooks, Kindle, and Nook, and preordered on Amazon and Barnes & Noble for the August 7^th, 2013 hardback print street date!  

Here are the links: 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/10QZIeE,  

Kindle: http://amzn.to/10gP0PE,   

 Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/Z6ENFf,  

Nook: http://bit.ly/YYOJ3O, 

iTunes (iBooks): http://bit.ly/10kwBR4

(“I Am Mixed” is the first in the I Am Book Series.  The follow up title will be “I Am Living in 2 Homes for children who deal with divorce. It can be found at www.facebook.com/iambookseries and @iambookseries orwww.iambook.com).

“I Am Mixed is an invaluable teaching tool that all children from all races can learn from.”  – Halle Berry (from her foreword)

      

AUGUST 2013

we received our own special copy!