Mary ‘Sparrow’ Agyapong’s thriving successes in the hair braiding business in the United States of America started off most awkwardly.
For starters, she was searching for a place to braid her hair years ago, when she first landed in the States, when she got the shock of her life.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Doreen Abanema Abayaa, in The Bronx, New York City, the 27-year-old said she and her father were in disbelief when the braider they approached charged them $140.
She added that even for that charge, it was discounted because she (Mary) was Ghanaian.
“When I first moved here, I went to get my hair braided and the lady was like because we are Ghanaians, she was going to charge about $140, and my dad was surprised. So, I asked, what if we are not Ghanaians, how much was it going to be and she said more than a $140,” she narrated.
Without much of a delay, Mary said she rather told her father to get her the things she would need to braid hair so she would do it on her own.
That, she added, was the beginning of what has become her life as a braider in The Bronx.
“So, I just told my dad, listen, just be me the stuff; I’m going to start doing my own hair. I started doing my own hair, started doing my friends, my mom joined me after some months and I started doing my mom’s hair. And now, look at me, I have my own business” she told Doreen Abanema Abayaa.
Mary now has a strong conviction about her craft: “When I touch your hair, you’re not going nowhere else; you’re staying because the magic happens here.”
Mary also shared of the details of how rewarding the job has been, and how it has contributed to her life.
“Not to brag, but [I have over 500 clients]. I work Monday to Saturday; every day except Sundays, which are my off days. I work on three to four clients a day, depending on the hair. Sometimes, two, sometimes one, like I said, it depends on the hair…
“I had an assistant who I was helping because she came from Ghana and needed support before she gets into the system. So, I was helping her till she stood on her feet. So, she’s started school and it needs time so she stopped coming. I’m very fast when it comes to braiding; I braid really fast and sometimes, I let my friends help me if I have a lot of people,” she added.
Asked what the biggest trick to being successful in the business is, Mary said it requires a lot of patience.
“This business, if you don’t have patience, you cannot deal with customers. Customers are always right, you have to know you are dealing with people. Everybody has their attitudes, mood swings and stuff and in the morning, people can come in with bad attitudes but what can you do but to do something to cheer them up,” she stressed.
Until she got into this business, Mary trained as an electronic engineer and hopes to be able to return to school when she has completed building.
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AE