After three years of championing Manchester's black-owned businesses in the world of social media, Efia Mainu is more than happy to stand her ground.
When she got the keys to this archway in Red Bank, just down the road from The Sparrows, Grub and popular bakery Half Dozen Other, it turned out to be more than just a cold, bare, neglected storage facility. It required considerable modification. .
If you look at the photos on her phone from the past few months, you'll see some pretty drastic changes. It now feels homely and warm, with bright yellow floors.
Treatment rooms have been built, and shelves on the second floor of the store are stacked with skin care and hair products, home goods and fabrics.
BlackOwned started in 2021 as an online community where Efia brought together Afro hair experts, stylists, and people creating their own brands in the world of skincare and beauty for discussion.
The new expansion of her project, BlackOwned Studios + Marketplace, is much more than just a place to shop and visit expert stylists.
“We started showcasing a variety of black-owned beauty businesses based in Manchester,” she told Manchester's Finest. “We found that there was a huge gap in visibility, especially for Black stylists.
“So I started showcasing them on Instagram and TikTok, and the community started growing.”
It all started when she came back to the UK after living and working abroad and found that she couldn't find a stylist that she was happy with, both love and money, and that good stylists were booked up for months. That was the trigger. Necessity is the mother of invention and her BlackOwned has taken on a life of its own.
She now has thousands of followers on various social media platforms and has turned all that support and industry into something tangible.
“The long-term goal has always been to create a physical space where all the work that we used to do online can be done in-person and where stylists can work flexibly from their space. Basically Black Beauty It’s about creating a hub,” she continues. “And I want to express Manx thoroughly!”
The Arch is now a co-working space for hairdressers and hairstylists, as well as many other Manchester businesses, including skincare company Arcee Organics and Christy It is also used as a store for several companies.
There will also be events, social and networking bashes, workshops and talks. All of this is aimed at growing this community in the real world.
True to the principle of “if you build it, they will come”, Efia built it and now it is flooded.
“We have a member of stylists who can be booked to work here,” she says. “She has over 50 people on the waiting list. She just moved in and is ready to go. But it's a good problem to have.”
BlackOwned Studios + Marketplace, 23 Red Bank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M4 4HF