Logo

In January 2020, Nia Pettitt inaugurated the doors of The Curl Bar, a curly hair salon, located in London. The salon's concept by Nia was not just about making customers feel beautiful, but offering the opportunity for all clients to feel embraced and celebrated.

Bringing a brick-and-mortar business to life

Establishing a hair salon with curly locks was always a dream of Nia's. "I frequently traveled across America to have my hair done because it was difficult to locate a salon in London and even in within the UK," she says. "I set out to design an experience that was comfortable at ease, calm, and reflect what I might have wanted as a young girl." The customers responded positively to her vision. When the books opened at The Curl Bar, appointments were quickly booked.

"Your life will change when you decide to open an enterprise. Ask yourself if you are ready for that change," Nia advises aspiring business owners. No one could have predicted what kind of change was about to arrive for Nia as well as The Curl Bar: Only a few months after its launch, the restaurant had to shut down temporarily due to COVID-19 shutdowns within the UK. Even a definite stop in operations didn't slow Nia down.

"I had no formula to expand the business or even in the case of the pandemic," she says. "I am just taking each day as an opportunity to grow from." As The Curl Bar was closed, Nia shifted her focus on social media, interacting with her stylists as well as her fans on social media until The salon could be able to reopen.