Today we’d like to introduce you to Shunderia Thomas-Knox.
Hi Shunderia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello I am Shunderia Thomas-Knox owner/ CEO of Sheek Styles salon and Allure Royalty Extensions. My dream of becoming a stylist started when I was a little girl. My grandmother would comb my hair and she always liked to cut bangs and have a lot of bows in my head, but my mom and I both hated it, so my mom would braid my hair in cornrows with pigtails to grow the bangs out. As I got older, my mom would sometimes take me to the salon, and I always hated how my hair would look and how long it took. The older I got my mom decided to do it herself full-time but of course, I felt some styles were what I called “old fashioned.”
So, of course, I would stand in the mirror rearranging what my mom spent hours doing, my hair was long and thick by the way. By the time I was 11years old I was good at doing hair and was styling the kid’s hair in my neighborhood. All my friends and I kept a new hairstyle. I decided in the 10th grade I was going to take up cosmetology to pursue my passion for hair. My teacher was Ms. Bratcher, she allowed us to participate in all kinds of local hair shows and of course, my classmates and I took home many awards. As my senior year approached, I lost my passion and went on to a four-year university instead of completing cosmetology for my license.
I realized after several years of majoring in Business Management I really loved being able to express myself through hairstyles. I graduated from the University of Memphis and shortly after enrolled at Delta Technical College where I pursued my cosmetology career. I knew that hair was my life because I would stand in the mirror for hours fixing my own hair. I worked at two salons after finishing the cosmetology program before life pushed me to become my own Salon owner. I went through several tragedies in 2021 losing my stepdaughter(bonus daughter) and my mother.
I knew I needed full control of my income and work schedule to be able to properly grieve without worrying about FMLA and how I was going to keep my bills paid. Besides my mom always preached to me that I needed my own shop, in fact, the nickname she called me was “Hollywood” because she knew I would be a star. I needed to create generational wealth and working in corporate or privately owned salons was not cutting it for me. So here I am, the little girl from South Memphis proud owner of not only a salon (Sheek Styles) but a hair extension company as well (Allure Royalty Extensions).
I am now a Master Stylist specializing in weaving, braiding, color, chemical and natural hair with over ten years of experience.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road at all. I struggled through cosmetology my second time around. My peers were a lot younger than me and I had a full household to manage with real adult responsibilities, so it was not easy to adapt to the teenagers in school. I had no time to play in school I wanted to get in and out and fast! I went to school from 8 am to 1:30 pm and work from 2 pm to 10 pm. I was drained by midterms and struggled to finish. I fell over 500 plus hours behind after dealing with two miscarriages while in school and needed 1500 hours to graduate.
However, I conquered that task and started a new journey after graduation and also passed State Board Exams. I worked at a local salon for about four months and they closed the doors. I was devastated because I was just rebuilding my clientele. I than landed a job at JCP Salon shortly after, my clientele doubled and then the pandemic hit. I was devastated because I had no clue as to what to do to keep food on the table because salons had to be shut down.
Nevertheless , my hair extension business picked up because clients needed something done to their hair, and weave extensions were the saving grace. I sold wig pieces to several clients to keep them feeling and looking their best! That’s what created my salon slogan “Be Chic Be Bold Be Beautiful” and “ Be Loyal to your Own Royalty”. I had to be an innovative thinker to help keep my family fed.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Sheek Styles is a beauty salon that specializes in natural hair, weave extensions, braids, and chemical services.
My salon focuses on one client at a time to ensure each and every client gets the proper care and pampering to enhance their inner beauty. Sheek Styles is not a one service fits all salon. Every client is unique and receives unique services. I also provide luxury extensions provided by Allure Royalty Extensions.
You can sit back and unwind in my chair and let your stress wash down the shampoo bowl. It’s an experience here at Sheek Styles!
What are your plans for the future?
I look forward to adding a mentor program during the summer for little girls or boys who would like to one day own or work in a salon or just want to know the how to run their own business. I plan to teach business ethics, and training on customer satisfaction, credit building, client relations/retention, business marketing and etc. I ultimately want to have an entire staff one day where I can venture out into salon training camps and open bigger and better salons.
Contact Info:
- Email: Allabouthair@sheekstylesbyshae.com
- Website: www.allureroyaltyextensions.com
- Instagram: @Sheekstyles_byshae
- Facebook: Sheek Styles
- Phone Number: 615-753-8254
Image Credits:
Clouded Visuals Photograher & L3Media
