New Duluth salon puts caring in hair care | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota

Whether it’s braided, straight or curled, Davenell Ash can speak to the psychological benefits of beautiful hair for black women.

As a 9-year-old in Charlotte, N.C., she braided hair with her sisters and cousins at their aunt’s salon. As a 38-year-old living in Duluth, she opened her own salon in May to provide style, a sense of community and new opportunities for black women like herself.

Ash’s shop, Unique Beauty & Hair Supply at 115 Third Ave. W., will provide hair care and products tailored to black women, especially those in need.

“We want to provide for less-fortunate women to get out of bad situations,” said Ash, who has about 20 years experience of in hair care. “We want to improve their self-image. You have to feel good about yourself, and it starts with looking in the mirror. It starts with a healthy being. That is what we are trying to do here.”

Ash said her store is filling a niche not previously served in Duluth.

Black women “try to do whatever we can to make our hair look good,” said Ash, who has lived in Duluth for about two years. “It is something that is deeply imbedded in our culture. A lot of money was leaving the city because there wasn’t a shop like this.”

Ash said she hopes the salon will partner with community organizations such as the Safe Haven Shelter for Battered Women and Women in Construction. The Family Justice Center, which assists women in need, has fielded requests for black hairstyles and service at its in-house hair salon, Director Cathryn Curley said.

“We serve a fair number of African-American women, and we’ve gotten that request,” Curley said. “They want someone with that particular skill.”

Xavier Bell of Community Action Duluth Circles of Support said he saw Ash’s drive to become an entrepreneur as he worked with her to develop a network of business contacts.

“She had this business mentality and focus on what she wants to do in the community,” Bell said. “She is a victorious lady, and she has done a great job. There is no doubt that she has found a niche, and it will blossom.”

The new salon also will have a family theme similar to Ash’s aunt’s shop in Charlotte, with Ash’s daughter, Porshai Jackson, among the salon’s three employees.

“She is a lot of the strength and reason for me doing this,” Ash said of her daughter. “I want to lay the groundwork for her.”