Meet Mitzie
Mitzie has worked with hair for over 16 years. Before this, she was working as a cashier. Her career trajectory quickly changed when she was working in downtown Manhattan on September 11.
“After 9/11 I didn’t want to go back because I had witnessed the whole thing,” Mitzie said.
Mitzie’s sister, a licensed cosmetologist, encouraged her to consider a career in hairdressing. Now, she owns Mitzie’s Hair Boutique in Harlem. When she found this location, Mitzie tried to access a loan from a bank but was told she needed to operate her business for at least a year to qualify.
Shortly after joining Grameen America, Mitzie turned a former butcher shop into her dream salon. With her first loan, she invested in new chairs, equipment and products to fill the space.
Mitzie moved from Jamaica to New York over 20 years ago. The transition was challenging as she had to leave her daughter with her mom as she established herself in the United States. Today, Mitzie’s daughter lives now in New York. She is 22 and helps her mom with bookkeeping and running the businesses operations. Mitzie also has a second daughter who is six years old.
Mitzie believes in haircare and her ultimate goal is to start her own product line and launch a hair extension business with future loans from Grameen America. She is working hard to make her own brand a reality.
