TWINSBURG, Ohio (WOIO) – Black hair is a journey.
It’s time, money, and a lot of emotion that goes along with styling and maintaining.
And every Black woman goes on the ride.
“I grew up around hair my whole life. My aunt does hair, so I have been in the hair salon my whole entire life,” said Bella Roots Beauty Supply owner, Lanetta Rucker. “My mother passed when I was 12, so I was responsible because I liked hair.”
It was that love that pushed Cleveland native Lanetta Rucker to attend Paul Mitchell Hair & Beauty School.
Once her license was in hand, her professional hair journey career began.
After moving to Twinsburg, Rucker saw a need for African American products and acted.
“Me doing hair at home, I would have clients running out of products or hair,” she said. “They would want to switch the hairstyle or say ‘I’m not driving 20 minutes to go to a hair store to get more hair.’”
Rucker opened up one of the only Black beauty supply stores in Twinsburg, catering strictly to African American hair, in a city that is 71% white.
“It really is a need,” said Rucker. “I need it, my clients need it, and I started strategizing. It took me a couple of years, but with COVID in 2020 I had time, so I got it done.”
And the response has been overwhelming.
“When they come in the door they go, ‘OMG! You have you have everything we need here,’” she said. “The excitement warms my heart… I can provide that as well as educate them on our hair.”Rucker opened up one of the only Black beauty supply stores in Twinsburg, catering strictly to African American hair, in a city that is 71% white.
“It really is a need,” said Rucker. “I need it, my clients need it, and I started strategizing. It took me a couple of years, but with COVID in 2020 I had time, so I got it done.”
And the response has been overwhelming.
“When they come in the door they go, ‘OMG! You have you have everything we need here,’” she said. “The excitement warms my heart… I can provide that as well as educate them on our hair.”
Bella Roots(Bella Roots)
“I know what to tell you if you want a pronto, a sew-in, I can give you all the tools,” Rucker said. “You don’t have to go guessing, “Like dang did I buy the right thing or not when I left the hair store?”
Owning a business isn’t easy, and that’s why Rucker says pouring into Black communities and supporting Black businesses is key.
“I don’t think we understand how important it is to help each other. Helping me – instead of driving 20 minutes – can help me, help you,” she said.
“We need to support from each other to grow and get everything in the store. We need that support. It’s very important.”
Along with being an entrepreneur, Rucker is a wife and a mother.
She’s a superhero who does it all, and it’s something she wants her kids to look up to.
“I bought a new house, got a store, had two kids back-to-back, 18 months apart. It was a lot all together. It’s a lot to juggle. It’s challenging. But it gives my daughters something to look up to,” she said.“They watch doing what I’m doing. I want them to know it’s possible, and they can make it happen with a family. All that I do, it’s possible.”
Lanetta Rucker, you are Black history.
