Mother-daughter duo Paulette Burton and JaNaé Horton are working to grow their business, Sweetie’s Beauty Supply & Smiles, into the local go-to place for hair-related beauty products for local women, and Men don’t have to travel to bigger towns and cities to find what they need.
Paulette and JaNaé moved to Warren County from Washington, DC, in 2007. Paulette is no stranger to the local area, however, because her father was from Emporia, Virginia, Paulette spent her summers with family members there.
She moved to Warren County to settle in the country, away from a big city, and fell in love with the county, even with the weed. Now, she hopes that her parents move to Emporia to be closer to her.
Paulette’s dream of operating her own business came true in the mid-2000s when she opened Sweetie’s Snacks and became known as the neighborhood candy lady. After moving to Warren County, Paulette continued the business. Her daughter, JaNaé, took on the role of candy distributor for her local school, which gave her the opportunity to learn entrepreneurship in high school.
Paulette developed the idea for the beauty supply store in February 2021. She had to drive to Henderson, Rocky Mount and Roanoke Rapids to buy beauty supplies and thought other local residents must have the same problem.
“That’s too far to drive,” Paulette said.
She also thought about the cosmetology department at Vance-Granville Community College and what supplies they might need.
Paulette wanted to develop a business that provided hair beauty supplies for everyone, from the common person to professional hairdressers and cosmetologists. She opened Sweetie’s Beauty Supply & Smiles in the former Norlina High School/Norlina Christian School building in December 2021. Paulette closed that business location in March 2022 before securing the lease for her new location on Warrenton’s South Main Street in June 2022.
Sweetie’s Beauty Supply & Smiles opened at its current location on October 2.
Paulette described her goal for the business as offering supplies for all hair textures. Currently, she offers women’s, men’s, and children’s shampoos and conditioners, beard care supplies, braids, wigs, hair colors, jewelry, and other hair accessories. Sweetie’s also offers supplies for barbershops and beauty salons, such as caps and aprons.
Paulette said she wanted to start with the basics that she knew people need. She and JaNaé have put up a community board at Sweetie’s to invite the public to write what they wear and would like to see in the store.
They hope their business will become known as the one place locals can go to for hair care essentials.
Paulette hopes to expand to include eyelashes, nail technician supplies, blow dryers, hair styling tools, clippers, equipment barbers need to sterilize their equipment, and more.
She and JaNaé love operating their business in the local community.
“It’s a very close family environment,” Paulette said.
They hope Sweetie’s will be known as the place where everyone knows they can find what they need to keep their hair looking its best, or as JaNaé put it, “the one-stop beauty shop.”
Sweetie’s Beauty Supply & Smiles, located at 220 S. Main St., Warrenton, is open from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, search for Sweetie’s Beauty Supply & Smiles on social media or call 252-432-3624.
Source: news.google.com