ST. LOUIS — What was once a mere dream jotted about in a notebook has perfectly manifested into a reality for 19-year-old Kaniya Slusher, who will open Major Beauty House salon specializing in eyelashes, eyebrows, and makeup services on Nov. 1
According to Kaniya, customers that patronize the salon can expect to not only walk into a very calming environment with stellar sanitation, but they will also see a strong tightknit community of sisterhood and unity.
“Women of all races coming together as one and not only making money, but changing their lives,” Kaniya said. “I have girls in my salon that have their own struggling situation going on. They just got out of training, they don’t have a full book of clients, but I want to change their lives in less time than it took me for three years, because I have that platform. I didn’t have people to help me get clients. I didn’t have people to sit there and tell me every day keep pushing, be in the shop, and do it like I do them. You’re going to see a lot of motivation. You’re going to see just a lot of ambition and sisterhood. Good vibes, nothing negative.”
At 16 years old Kaniya came up with the idea behind Major Beauty House during a challenging time in her life where she was bouncing from house to house due to her mother’s alcohol addiction and living in households that she knew she was unwanted at all while working at McDonald’s.
“I just knew I needed more income because I just knew my brand was the only thing in this world that could take me where I wanted to be, my only therapy away from what I was experiencing.” Kaniya said.
When Kaniya’s cousin graduated from esthetician school and was transitioning into working at a salon, Kaniya suggested that her cousin show her instructor examples of her brow work for her to possibly work there as well.
“She showed the lady my brow work and the lady was like ‘yeah I want her to come up here,” Kaniya said. So, I came up to the salon and when she saw how old I was and how small I was she just couldn’t believe it. She was like ‘wow what this is your work.’ She was just telling me your work is better than mine and I’ve been doing brows for years, I’m an instructor.”
The instructor ended up being very impressed by Kaniya’s work and ended up granting her an apprenticeship in the salon where she was able to learn how to do eyebrow tinting and eyelash extensions. She eventually left the salon and moved onto working in her own suite at her friend’s dad’s barbershop building a brand-new clientele from the bottom.
“I used to go to the shop every day after school, until it got to a point I had so many clients at the barbershop it was taking up a lot of my school,” Kaniya said. “When it came time for my senior year I was able to do online school for my whole entire senior year and I graduated early because I was able to show proof of my clients outside of school and the events I was attending and speaking at. I had to present that to the superintendent, and I was granted access to complete my diploma online.
Just last year Kaniya was living in a small apartment in Berkeley with her mom that she hated. Fast forward to now, the young entrepreneur is now making six-figures and she credits shifting her mindset with having to do a lot with how she made it to this point.
“Now when I walk into my house I just feel completely blessed and my main thing is just reaching towards girls that feel like they can’t have it because you can have more than me,” Kaniya said. “You can have anything you want. You just have to get out of your own way and fix your mindset because that’s what’s blocking you.”
For aspiring entrepreneurs Kaniya strongly advises to not let your current circumstance have an impact on the dreams you’re chasing after.
“Don’t let nothing in your environment stop you,” Kaniya said. “I used to go home to a little bitty box apartment with crackheads outside of it. I still came outside and went to business events, held myself and my head high, knew what my plan was, and still did great things until I made a reality.
Major Beauty House’s will be open to the public from 3-4:30 p.m. It is located at 1218 Tamm Ave St. Louis, MO 63139. Clients can pre-book appointments at the grand opening.
To learn more about the salon and its services, visit the website at: https://majorbeautyhouse.as.me/schedule.php.
