We were lucky to catch up with Joyell Lewis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Joyell, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Hair was my side hustle for 13 years. But I’ve been a jazzy girl for as long as I can remember. That’s because I’ve always loved that feeling. You know the one – when your stylist endows you with that one-of-a-kind, self-affirming glow. Everyone can relate to leaving the salon feeling like the most fabulous version of themselves. And I’ve always felt called to create that experience for others – especially women in my community.

Feeling good about how you look can change your whole outlook on life. And that confidence is especially important for Black women in a world that can make us feel “othered” far too often. I created Joyola Mei Salon with the intention of serving as a safe space for kinky, coily, curly, and wavy girls to bring their crowns to life. Hence our motto “Live Your Curl.” 

Watching young black girls leave our salon, standing taller than when they arrived, and falling in love with themselves, gives me all the purpose I need every day. And the outpouring of love I’ve received from my community lets me know I’m exactly where I am meant to be.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Joyell – but I’m lovingly known by my peers as Joy. I am a hair expert, artist, entrepreneur, and the owner of Joyola Mei – an eco-luxury hair salon and home for curly girls in Detroit, MI. Like many “naturalistas” out there, I re-discovered the beauty of my natural curls as an adult. And like every curl friend I have met or serviced, it has been an enlightening journey to self-love and discovery. Curly girls know – at first it takes some learning – finding what works for you (and doesn’t) through those early stages. But the longer I stuck with it, the more I fell in love with simply learning how to love my hair. Oh, the long conversations I’ve had in the mirror with my curls!  Any woman who has gone through a natural hair journey would tell you that it’s a pretty powerful experience. I’m thankful  for what this journey has gifted me on a personal level and that I get to share those gifts with other curly girls. It’s an honor to be trusted with their crowns.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Let’s take it back to 2019, before I even planned on turning hair styling into my full-time business. Back when it was just a skill to keep my bills paid and stay afloat. That year in particular for me was full of growth. I was looking for a career change after leaving the public sector and it was important to me to choose something I could feel good about in this next phase of my legacy.

Of all the professions I’d dabbled in, hair was the one side hustle that remained a consistent source of income for me over the years. So that’s when I first started to ask myself “What could this [hair styling] actually look like as a full-time gig?” I had already been a licensed cosmetologist for 7 years so I knew I could, at the very least, try my hands in a professional setting to see if this was something that truly aligned with what I wanted to do. I landed a full-time job at Ulta Beauty – arriving at their doorstep with just 3 consistent clients. All of them curly girls with colored strands. My “imposter syndrome” was at an all-time high, constantly worried about whether I was a good fit in this new salon home.

But my unique services and niche clientele actually turned out to be the greatest blessing. Within just 10 months, I became booked solid around the clock and earned a consistent spot on Ulta Beauty’s “top earners list” in the district. The overflowing clientele, a result of some amazing referrals, set new bars for myself and ULTA. I went from wondering if I had a place in the market to proving the existence of a significant “hair demand” in our region. That is, the need for “Curl Artists”- a term I use to refer to individuals trained in the creation of loose, natural curl styles for kinky, coily, curly, and wavy hair.

During my height at ULTA, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, taking all my success with it. At least that’s how it felt in those early days of our ongoing pandemic. For every day that passed where I sat at home, my fears about whether I had chosen the right career path grew stronger. Questions like “Will this ever end?”, “Will my job still be around when this is over?”, and “Will my clients even come back?” Ran through my mind constantly. But once again, within just a few months back to work during the following year, my ULTA clientele was bursting at the seams. I could feel that I had reached my growth cap at ULTA and I knew the time was coming for me to step out on my own.

That’s when I made the pivot to starting my own business. Slowly but surely, I began planting the seeds of Joyola Mei – branding my social media and building community with my consistent clients. Despite all of my success, there I was once again scared of what the future held for me. Here we were in the middle of a pandemic and I’m thinking about opening a six chair hair salon and taking out a business loan while so many existing small businesses were actively struggling. But every time I watched my schedule fill up, or gained a new hair opportunity outside of ULTA, the more I knew I had to take that leap of faith. And I’m glad I did. Because I’ve already accomplished far more than I ever sought out to do. I’m working with my dream clientele, I’ve received more than $40,000 in grants, and I’ve opened my very first retail location in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood – not too bad for a Black woman from humble beginnings. Not to mention, we are only getting started. I’m even more excited for what’s next. But you’re gonna have to stay tapped in with us to find out. 

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

In addition to word of mouth and referrals from our loving, curly girl Community, we are also tremendously thankful for the countless news and media publications, like you all, that have continuously supported our business since our grand opening in May 2022. Many of our new clients have been excited to share that they found us on the news, but referrals remain our primary source of expanding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joyolamei.com/
• Instagram: @joyolameisalon / @joyolamei
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joyolameihair/

Image Credits
Natasha Daniels Photography Juan Carlos Dueweke-Perez Cy J Abdelnour