Danyelle Burke North
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – We’re continuing to celebrate Black History Month and highlight local leaders with not one but two entrepreneurs this week.
A mother-daughter duo own a local salon and are changing the game in the beauty supply industry.
“Co-owning the shop with my family, not just my daughter, is so rewarding…so humble. It’s just an honor and a privilege from God for me,” said Dinnie’s Beauty Supplies and Braiding Salon owner Amerita Hamlet.
Dinnie’s Beauty Supplies and Braiding Salon is a family-owned shop in Yuma that offers everything from wigs, hair extensions, natural hair products, and hair services for all ethnicities.
The family wears many hats in the community. Daughter Emilie Hall is a professional wedding photographer that’s been traveling and had her work featured in several high profile magazines.
“Last year, I did New York Fashion week, and I’ve been featured in a couple like very wonderful magazines. It’s very exciting,” said Hall.
Mom Amerita Hamlet is also a retired active duty navy nurse, instructor at Arizona Western College and nursing professor at Northern Arizona University Yuma, plus has another small business with mobile health and wellness training classes.
She named and created the shop Dinnie’s in honor of her mom who had Alzeimers.
“It’s very humbling to see that the community actually supports this type of store. I’m a small local business owner, and it’s a privilege to be in the community and helping people who really need help. When you have a type of store like this and people are going through cancer or losing their hair, bringing a smile on their face is the most important thing in my mind,” said Hamlet.
“Watching my mom create magic is beautiful,” said Hall.
For many customers, they say they feel that magic when they walk through the door.
“Honestly, it’s really amazing because living in Yuma my whole life is really a thing of like not having enough representation or anything like that, just in this area, in this locale, and so there’s always been like the little small shops that never really lasted. But seeing that the shop is here and it has a lot of things to it is really beautiful, honestly. It’s like opened my eyes and makes me want to come back more and more. Even just my first time being here, I’m already like wanting to buy everything literally,” said first time customer Cruz Haddock.
Whether you’re a first time customer like Cruz or a regular over the years, they say the shop brings much needed representation to the community and feels like home.
“Black hair is difficult. You know, you can’t just go up to Walmart or go to CVS and just find something that’s just going to fit your bill, so coming here, this is a place where you not only get products that you need, but you also get a coach. You also get someone who knows the hair and will kind of walk you through everything that you need to look beautiful, as beautiful as you can. But the most important thing is that it feels like family, and when someone knows you, they can feel you, and they know where you’re coming from. It’s really nice to have that confidence, to be able to go someplace and get whatever you need and be fabulous. One stop shop” said returning customer Luz Rios.
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Courtesy: HSOIC
Courtesy: City of Calexico
Courtesy: City of Calexico
Courtesy: Yuma Police Department