Hair Majesty

Nicholle Brace Was A Pro At Running A Hair Salon By The Time She Was 19. Raising A Family Was Something New.

By Kia Lisby

Hyattsville resident Nicholle Brace is a single mother of two sons, Brace Barnes, 20, and Evan Griffin, 15. But she didn’t let being a single mother and head of her household end her dreams of becoming an entrepreneur.

Brace is a full-time hair stylist who has been doing hair for over 30 years. Those three decades of experience began as she grew up working in one of her father’s two hair salons, Tivoli Salon & Beauty Supply in Washington, D.C. The talented stylist learned more than just the trending hair styles her clients sought. She also learned the mechanics of managing a shop and the discipline of leading a business well into her college years.

Her father, Cornell Brace Jr. (born and raised in Lancaster, South Carolina) owned Tivoli Salon & Beauty Supply in Washington, D.C. and Tivoli II Hair Salon in Langley Park, Maryland. Ms. Brace worked at and took over the Langley Park salon as owner after her father passed away in 1998.

Brace graduated from Morgan State University in 1992 with a degree in sociology and minor in criminal justice. After graduation she worked in sociology for a couple of years but never stopped ‘doing hair.’ A major challenge Brace faced as a single mother, provider and entrepreneur was in finding balance.

“I’ve missed a lot of games and activities for my children because I have to work,” Brace says of a truth that is painful for thousands of single parents.

A typical day for Brace consists of getting herself and her youngest son, Evan, up for school. Then, she works out before getting ready for work and runs errands, if necessary. She periodically checks in Evan during the day to make sure he’s homeschooling OK. After work, she shifts gears to take care of duties at home.

As with anyone, the mother of two has more dimensions than that of parent. Nicholle enjoys relaxing at home, learning new things, dinner with friends and, most of all, travel.

Motherhood, however, is a full time position.

When it comes to standards to meet and live up to, Brace admitted to feeling family pressures. Having family, with very few entrepreneurs, brings about a disconnection because “they have a 9 to 5 mindset,” she said explaining that they have more set work hours than she.

She says there’s an expectation of this, the way I think you should have raised your child, or you should take off, you should do this and you should do that. Certain methods may work for others, but it’s not for Brace and her family.  It was a core value the young mother not only maintained for herself but that Brace instilled in her sons.

She says she pushed her sons to “always be sure to do what makes you happy” and to not put stipulations on their aspirations.

When times were hard, prayer and God motivated her.

In her entrepreneurial role, Brace says some challenges with being a business owner include marketing her business especially with new and constant changes due to social media. “It becomes a challenge because you are doing everything to keep your business going such as managing client appointments, managing money, marketing, inventory and most of all, continued education, to stay abreast of new trends [in the] industry.”

She understands that she cannot please everyone and that’s OK. Experience has taught the business owner to know and do what works best for her.

As a parent, Brace finds it most rewarding to know that she has extended family. She said: “there’s a version of you that’s going to keep your family alive, keep your family line going,” before also mentioning grandchildren in the future and to see her children hopefully, grow up to do great things.