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Email this articleImmigrants find a niche African hair braiding shops sprout around town
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BY JORDAN MILLER
In the tiny storefront of Art of Africa African Hair Braiding on West Michigan Avenue, amidst the tapestries and mirrors, Kadeatou Sella and Sali Sidibi chat quietly with each other as they braid hair.
On this particular afternoon, Sella, who is from Guinea, and Sidibi, from the Ivory Coast, are putting Veronica Franklin's hair into hundreds of tiny, thin braids, a style known as "tie zillion'' or simply "zillion.''
"It looks really nice,'' says Franklin, 19. "You can wear it for three months and it still looks good. It's really convenient. It's very flexible, manageable.''
The process can take four to six hours or more and costs around $200, depending on the braider and the style. But sitting for such a long period of time isn't the only uncomfortable part:
"It will hurt for a day or two,'' Franklin explains, "and sometimes it's hard to sleep on. But it's worth it 'cause I don't have to do it every week.''
Jacquella Patterson, another customer in the shop, agrees, saying that sometimes the braiders will pull a particular hair that "makes it feel like all your nerve endings stop right there.''
"You have to get in the frame of mind to come and get your hair braided. It's not like just going into Dairy Queen. It's like cosmetic surgery. ... It makes you feel good about yourself. It makes you feel sexy.''
The next day, Nene Kombo is in the shop she owns with her husband, Patrick, Nene African Hair Braiding on Huron River Drive, having her hair braided in tiny "zillion'' braids by her two sisters.
The Kombos moved to Ypsilanti in 2000 from Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, to escape armed conflict. Nene Kombo went to school for hair braiding in Africa and had hoped to start a business there before they were forced to move. She explained that braiding is a common skill in Africa and is often something friends and family members do for each other.
Patrick Kombo said there is a large African population in Ypsilanti and that many new immigrants see the successful shops and want to open their own. There are at least nine African hair braiding shops in the city.
"They think it's easy because it's braiding and they know how to do it,'' he said, "but running a shop like this isn't easy.''
He said business has been slow, forcing the Kombos to negotiate and lower prices.
"It used to be $200,'' he said, "but prices are going down. Nobody wants to pay like they used to pay. Now we cannot charge someone $200. They say, 'No, I'm broke.'''
Jordan Miller can be reached at jmiller@annarbornews.com or 734-482-2263.
Source: The Ann Arbor NewsAll rights reserved.