When Sylvia Carr couldn’t find haircare products in Johnstown, she decided to take matters into her own hands and created Bougie Hair Care. Photo: Provided

Shop the Bougie Hair Care Essentials store on the Alleghenies Marketplace

After a battle with cancer in 2012 Sylvia Carr realized that there were no local shops who sold the hair products she needed. At first, she made the trek to Pittsburgh to purchase the products, but after several bad experiences where she said that she felt disrespected by store employees, she decided to take matters into her own hands. “I said, you know what, forget this,” Carr recalls. “I am going to open up my own shop.”

“I never wanted other people to feel that way – like their hair needs didn’t matter,” she added. Carr did her research and got feedback from her community before launching Bougie Hair Care in 2020. She wanted to meet a supply need specifically for African American women in Cambria County.

Carr says that there is a tremendous need for this type of shop in the community. “I’m seeing a lot of people moving from bigger cities to the Johnstown area. City life right now is terribly dangerous. People are looking for something calmer and where the kids can be outside and safe.”

Read more about Bougie Hair Care here.

Photo: Provided

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