We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shante James. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shante below.

Shante , appreciate you joining us today. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

In 2019, I opened a local Beauty Supply Boutique with a family member. Due to schedule changes, Covid-19, and personal events, we pivoted to e-commerce and a mobile store in the summer of 2020. We pivoted from a storefront to an online and mobile Beauty Supply Store. We recently placed our 1st Beauty Supply Vending Machine inside Katy Mills Mall -near Houston. Our machine is located near Ross and AMC.
We also sell beauty supplies on many platforms such as Amazon, Walmart Market Place and eBay.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a wife and mom of three amazing children. I graduated from Oakland University and received my MSA from the University of Phoenix. I worked for a big-box retailer for 14 years holding various positions from a cashier and quickly moving to higher positions in administration and management. I also worked for our local school district in accounting. I became a stay-at-home mom after the birth of our second child. In 2019, I opened a local Beauty Supply Boutique, Walker’s Beauty Retreat with a family member. Due to schedule changes, Covid-19, and personal events, we pivoted to e-commerce and a mobile store in the summer of 2020. During my time at home, I turned my hobby of making natural skincare products for my kids from a hobby to a business. I started Kidlife KJ3 Essentials in July of 2020. I was inspired by kids and the suppliers of hair companies that our beauty supply store carries.

Currently, I solely strive to maintain and operate Walker’s Beauty Supply. The store name was updated because we are no longer a storefront that offers products and services. Walker’s Beauty Supply still is a beauty supply store that stands on delivering quality products to each customer. We specialize in natural hair care products, most of our product selection products made by men and women of color that are made in the USA.
We are excited to not only offer products online but through a new innovative way of shopping with vending machines/robots that are currently trending across the country. We have plans to add more vending machines inside hospitals, local universities, and airports. We also plan to add more products from local brands to assist with growth in our community, We will continue to strive to provide quality products that are available for our customers on the go and fast shipping.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Our new business model is an example of how we had to pivot. We lost the patriarch of our family, Ludaniel Walker right at the beginning of Covid-19 in February 2020. He was very proud of our store being named after our family, and he was our biggest fan and motivator. Weeks after his passing, the Covid-19 pandemic changed everything. Because we were family owned and operated, we ran into many scheduling issues and had a hard time operating the store. Our county actually forced a lockdown on our operations, and we moved had to update our website and offer pickup and delivery services. Our sales declined, and we struggled with funding to cover our overhead. We decided to close our doors in June of 2020 and pivot to online only. In November of 2021, we placed our first vending inside Katy Mills Mall.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson learned is there is no possible way to do everything alone. Assistance is needed in just about every area of a business. It is better to have assistance and other views coming from another person. The challenging part is being able to afford to hire and maintain an employee.

While operating our storefront we ran into the issue of needing coverage during store hours when we had emergencies and unexpected shifts in our schedules.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.walkersbeautysupply.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/walkersbeautysupply
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/walkersbeautysupply
• Other: Vending Machine location Katy Mills Mall located in District