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In the month of January, Nia Pettitt officially opened the doors to the Curl Bar, the salon for curly hair in London. Nia's vision for the salon did not only revolve around making clients feel beautiful, but offering a space for every client to feel loved and appreciated.

Bringing a brick-and-mortar business to life

Establishing a hair salon with curly locks was always a goal of Nia's. "I often traveled across America to get my hair done as it was never easy to locate a salon in London, let alone within the UK," she says. "I set out to design an experience that was comfortable, calming, and also 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 soon filled up.

"Your life is changed as you begin to establish an enterprise. Check if you're willing to make the necessary changes," Nia advises aspiring business owners. No one could have predicted the magnitude of changes that would be coming for Nia as well as The Curl Bar. Just two months after debut, the bar was shut down temporarily due to COVID-19 shutdowns in the UK. But even an indefinite pause in operations didn't slow Nia down.

"I did not have a plan for growing the business, let alone in the epidemic," she says. "I am just taking each day as an opportunity to grow from." While The Curl Bar was closed, Nia shifted her focus on social media, interacting with her stylists and her followers on social media until The salon was allowed to be able to open again.