Each month, Girls Can’t WHAT? gives 20% of its profits to support women-owned businesses through KIVA loans.
Thanks to all who purchased gifts items from Girls Can’t WHAT? in June 2010. With the funds, we were able to help two women entrepreneurs move their business ideas forward. Georgia is a young woman living in San Francisco who recently branched out to start her own beauty salon. Her story was remarkable and I could not help but want to see her succeed.
Georgia walked past a shabby hair salon in San Francisco’s Mission District almost every day for twelve years without giving it a second glance; it was a far cry from the spaces where she worked as a hair stylist.
Over the years, Georgia has paid other business owners considerable monthly fees to rent chairs in their plush salons. Last year she grew tired of sharing her earnings with salons that did not share her vision. She declared, “I want do something innovative, fun and my own…it is my turn.”
One day, rather than just passing by the shabby hair salon, Georgia marched in and asked to buy the space. From this bold move, “Pretty Pretty Collective” was born.
It is no secret that Georgia loves to create fantasy and imagery. She grew up in England and Canada, left home when she was 14, and has been styling and modeling ever since. Georgia’s vision for “Pretty Pretty Collective” is to create an imaginative venue where she can style clients during the day.
In addition to serving her own client base, Georgia will proudly rent out the space to five other stylists who share her passion and her vision. To help keep overhead costs low and to maximize the real estate, at night the space will transform into a setting for art shows and fundraisers featuring local artists and popular neighborhood vendors. She hopes to host a fundraiser for her son’s school, which, like other schools across California, faces serious budget cuts.
Upon purchasing the salon space last year, a friend referred her to the small business section in City Hall where she found Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, and Opportunity Fund. Georgia will use this $10,000 loan from Opportunity Fund to become an authorized vendor of the Bumble and Bumble product lines and to purchase salon furniture. The soft opening of “Pretty Pretty Collective” will be held on July 15th. For more information please visit: prettyprettycollective.com!
If you’d like to help other women around the world support themselves, their families and improve their communities, join us on KIVA and change the world one loan at a time.
