By: NY1 News 09/18/2002 02:28 PM
For most women, hair loss brings a loss of self-esteem. One Manhattan woman has built a business on bringing that confidence back. NY1's Rita Nissan has the story in this Fortune Small Business Report.
Barbara Campbell is about to give one of her clients a new look and more confidence.
“I wanted to do something special,” she says. “I wanted to make a change in someone's life.”
She's doing that through her company, Barbara Campbell Beauty Care. Barbara can make someone's hair longer and thicker by weaving and micro-netting. She also makes wigs.
“I custom-make wigs from scratch,” Barbara says. “I take the measurements, I have my needles, and I create an art, because it's designing.”
Most clients are women. They may have lost their hair from bad perms, aging, or medical reasons.
“I like the fact that I am able to make a change in a woman's life, and to be able to help a woman who has completely lost her hair due to chemotherapy and who is suffering from cancer,” Barbara says.
Wigs start at $$600, and extensions at $$200. For women with cancer, insurance may cover part of the cost.
All the hair Barbara uses is real. She buys it from a distributor who imports it from places like India. The hair is treated and dyed to match what a client wants.
Barbara has been doing this for the last 10 years. During college, she got her license in cosmetology, and she learned the nuts and bolts of owning a business from a program that trains young entrepreneurs.
“As a woman and a minority in business, you need skills to stay alive in this tough business world, and I have that,” she says.
Aside from the people Barbara helps here, she's a volunteer with the American Cancer Society. Once a month she goes to a hospital, teaching cancer patients how to care for their wigs, how to put on makeup, and how to feel better about themselves.
“It's about a woman who needs my attention and who needs my skills to help her feel good about herself,” she says.
In the end, it's the client who benefits and who has new feelings of self-worth, and this business owner not only gets the satisfaction of making it happen, she also makes a pretty good living at it.
- Rita Nissan
P.S. Since this wonderful article, we are now located in the heart of Brooklyn in Crown Heights, NY. Please visit our new info website for more information about our hours and hair salon services at www.barbaracampbellnyc.com
