Today we’d like to introduce you to Jitta and Anthony Dupont.
Jitta and Anthony, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As far as I can remember, I was always the one into hair and would be creative with my family, friends, and clients. Hair is my world to say the least. Practice, Practice, and more practice thats actually how I learned and perfected my craft. Don’t get me wrong I am still learning especially with the ongoing new trends that circulate year to year. I would always help my mom with braiding my sister’s hair for school, functions, picture day, etc.. I also braided my mom’s hair at times. Once I was in high school, and college I figured out how I could make money, and that was by braiding hair. Once I started, from that point I never stopped. I grew to find a great gift I had and that was in hair styling, maintenance, and care. I always remember saying I want to have my own shop one day. I use to sit down and actually write down how I wanted my shop to look, what I wanted inside, and how much it would cost me, something like a business plan, even though back then I had no idea what a business plan was.
I enjoy doing hair, I enjoy listening to people, and I love seeing the results and the smiles on my client’s faces. The joy of just doing something your passionate about doesn’t even feel like a job thats why I’m so passionate about it. Throughout my years of your typical 9-5, I still had my (side hustle) braiding hair which kept the dream in mind alive. Fast forward in 2017 I told my husband I was ready to open a shop, after much thought, preparation, and just a small amount of money, he said bae start looking for a location. The words (start looking for a location) was music to my ears I knew my dream was about to come into existence. After searching for a few months, I found a spot in Old Town Spring. I had been to OTS for the crawfish festival a few times, however I was not fully familiar with the area very well, but when I saw the space and the town I fell in love and knew that is where we needed to be.
At that point, BeU Boutique & Hair Studio was now a reality. I decided to incorporate a boutique another passion I never was able to explore but desired. I was then able to advertise my husband’s crafts as an up and coming DJ and custom sports ceramic designer. My husband and I with all our hard work finally became business owners. We always had the idea to work for ourselves where we could express our creative side, provide for our family and have a flexible schedule. I am a firm believer in God allowing things to happen at the right time and everything flows accordingly. Support is the foundation of any venture and without the support of our family, friends, and each other I don’t know where would be now. I am grateful and humbled in my business journey and I know there’s more to come from BeU Boutique and Hair Studio where our motto is Be you! Be Bold! Be Beautiful!
Has it been a smooth road?
I would not tell anyone it was an easy road because it was not. Our business has been in operation for a year now in the heart of Old Town Spring a historic town with tons of history. Finances play a huge part in any business. You have to know where your money is going to come from, either savings, family contributions, or loans. Once you have established that you need to make sure you have the help you need so your business can run smoothly in a sense. I thought I had it all planned out, that I would be able to fix my clients hair and during my downtime when I did not have clients I could run the front part of the shop, which is the boutique. Needless to say, I tried that one day and that was the last day I did that. Finding good reliable help is another challenge, a good advice I would give someone is hire somebody who has interest in your vision.
I decided I needed to hire more braiders and a boutique manager because I can not do it all. It takes a TEAM. I was so grateful to have met and hired Cyzle Blessed the Boutique Manager and Quincy Master BeU Braider, I must say when you find good people cherish them they are not just employees they become family. Inventory is a big struggle for me, keeping up with items I purchased and what I was selling them for, and of course my profit off of each item (my books). Advertising was a huge struggle I had no idea where to start. I basically self-taught myself by researching other successful businesses, and reading articles about others and how they made it, the dos and the don’ts. I would consider myself fortunate to be able to learn these things as my business progressed. Always be open to learning about your business, you should be the (SME) subject matter expert of your business. There is no such thing as learning too much, learn as much as you can.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Well, our business is a boutique/hair braiding studio. BeU Boutique provides unique fashion, accessories, bags, shoes, gifts which some are custom made, so you can’t get them anywhere else. BeU Hair Studio is our braiding studio, where we specialize in protective styles for anyone who is interested in giving their hair a little break. Our shop is divided into three parts, the boutique when you first walk in, then there is a door where you enter into the hair studio and we have an office in the back. Our specialty that we want to draw focus on is our custom made American style African print clothes, shoes, and bags from Sierra Leone.
First, what sets us apart in Old Town Spring is that we are the only African American owned braiding salon there. We are also known for our exceptional customer service and happy attitudes. We cater to our clients and customers. BeU provides a cozy yet intimate atmosphere where you can come in get your hair done, vent, laugh, and shop when you’re finished, as many of my clients have done. In the Boutique, we always have free food tastings or even a sip of wine, music, games, and prizes thats what sets us apart from your typical boutique or hair salon.
Cyzle Blessed brings an authentic personality to the boutique, her interactions with the customers is outstanding and she gets sales. Cyzle is honest in helping the customers when giving fashion advice and she represents what BeU stands for, being yourself no matter what! Quincy brings a bubbly attitude to the shop. The little time Quincy has been at the Hair Studio she has given me some great advise which I appreciate. Quincy always finds a way to make you laugh and not deliberately she’s just funny and that brings a comfortable atmosphere for our clients.
I am most proud of the BeU team my husband and the customer service we provide our customers and clients. Our team delivers exceptional customer service from the boutique manager-Cyzle Blessed to the braiders-Quincy, our number one goal is to make sure the clients and customers are happy so that they return and refer others thats what its all about, growth, family like atmosphere, and giving back. Old Town Spring and the administrators with their continued ideas and activities for shoppers has played a huge part in making BeU Boutique & Hair Studio a unique one-stop shop in the Spring and Houston Community.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, Houston is very economical as far as starting a business. I literally started my business with very little finances. Commercial property is reasonable now and you don’t need something to spacious to start. You can start with something small and affordable to allow yourself to grow. I would definitely recommend to anyone to open a business in Houston. The communities in Houston are extremely supportive the patronage is unbelievable and as long as you remain humble and love on your customers they will support you forever.
Contact Info:
- Address: 315 Gentry
Spring, TX 77373 - Website: https://beu-boutique-hair-studio.business.site/
- Phone: 3463457959
- Email: beuboutiqueandhairstudio@gmail.com
- Instagram: @beuboutiqueandhairstudio
- Facebook: beuboutiqueandhairstudio
- Other: www.beuboutiqueandhair@wixsite.com/website
Image Credit:
Devine Image-Travis Manuel, All clothing, jewelry, and accessories from-BeU Boutique
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