Call it good fortune or just a good sense to turn a skill into a successful small business, but Retta Gonzalez probably had a little bit of both on her side when she created Sanibel & Captiva Hair Braiding, Henna Tattoo & Childcare Services.
After eight years of running her business, Gonzalez, who started out as a single mom working part-time jobs on Sanibel and going to school to become a high school math teacher, has become a member of Sanibel & Captiva Chamber of Commerce and is proud to be one of the small businesses that comprises this close-knit island community.Gonzalez recalled how her mother used to braid her and her sister’s hair in the summer when she was a little girl, and said that she would braid her friends’ hair when she worked at The Bubble Room on Captiva. One day, a friend and a salon owner told her how high the demand for hair braiding was and encouraged her to do it professionally.
“And he goes, ‘Retta, you don’t understand, I get phone calls every day for this braid thing,’” she said, adding that she immediately agreed and began braiding hair at the salon.
However, Gonzalez said that she did not enjoy working at the salon as much because it was not always consistent, so she went to a local resort and asked if they needed a hair-braider there.
By the following season, the demand for the service skyrocketed, and Gonzalez put school and her other jobs on hold to keep up with the growing demand.
“I was slammed. I was braiding hair, I was doing hair wraps, and I worked seven days a week,” she said. “Now it’s evolved to three different locations and I have a handful of employees.”
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Sheka on September 29th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Very Great article! I make a lot of money hair braiding and I plan to open many salons soon
Jan on October 4th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Retta has braided my daughters hair for 6 yrs. now, she is a part of our Sanibel vacation every year. She is a sweet woman that obviously loves her job. Good job Retta on the article. See you soon!!