Knowing Your Neighbors: New Salon Aims to Bring Black Haircare, Heritage to Duluth

"Our hair is a part of who we are," said owner Denisa Ford-Washington

DULUTH, Minn.- A new salon in Duluth’s Central Hillside Neighborhood is catering to African American hair types, which they see as underrepresented in Northland haircare.

“Our hair is a part of who we are,” said owner Denisa Ford-Washington. “And without it I just feel like there’s a whole side of us that isn’t there.”

Ford-Washington opened up Natural Braiding and Beauty in October at a little corner storefront on East 4th Street — opening up the Twin Ports to a world of a different culture.

“The services I will be offering is like hair texture care,” she said. “I don’t like to just call it coarse hair or nappy hair or whatever but it’s just like unfamiliar hair, that’s a better way to put it.”

Braiding and caring for black hair types has been a part of her identity all her life. “I started braiding when I was 10 years old,” she said.

After growing up and taking care of her own kids’ hair, word spread to her entire Twin Cities neighborhood.

“With the demand so many parents coming to me talking about they have no one to go to and they’re travelling two hours away this way or they’re going this way it was bridging the gap,” said Denisa.

A gap, she found extended to the Northland.

“We’ve had a couple different salons that have actually stopped by and it’s like ‘I’m so glad you guys are here I don’t know anyone that does this and my clients are always asking.’,” she said.

She was joined by a Duluth barber, and another barber in her family out of Mankato who both cut all types of hair.

“This is a fledgling market and catering to the urban gentleman is a big thing nowadays and like he said being diverse and being able to cut everybody’s hair is a plus for this shop,” said Akeem Pendleton, owner of New Identity Barbershop in Mankato. 

“The African culture needs a black barber,” fellow barber at the Duluth shop Tryun Cooper said. 

But Ford-Washington’s new business isn’t just a salon.

Denisa’s partner Talib Shabazz saw a lack of diversity in Twin Ports fashion, moving his previously street-side clothing store to the brick and mortar.

“I try to urban a lot of urban wear but also as you see I like to contribute to a lot of professional as well, I try to also for the athletes, dresses, one pieces,” he said.

Lots of his attire carries messages like Black Lives Matter — his way of carrying the struggle he says his community faces across the country.

“It’s been going on for eons the racism and the miscarriage of justice I think I would like to represent that being an African-American male, I represent that that we still will rise above,” said Shabazz.

A collage of black-owned businesses, each bringing their piece of the black experience to the area. “Show off the diversity that there are black owned businesses here and that Duluth is open to the diversity that they speak about,” Shabazz said.

A heritage, weaved into hair.

“Without our hair being valued the way it is significant to us then it’s almost like, who are we? Cause our hair speaks a lot,” Ford-Washington said.