Celebrating Small Businesses: How the Owners of Lavish, A Jenée Chanel Salon, Reinvented Their Business to Grow from a Local Salon to a National Retailer

By Eric Springer | Published: May 2021

Each week in May, WSFS Bank and FOX 29 are teaming up to honor a small business in the Greater Philadelphia and Delaware region that overcame the odds to persevere and succeed during the COVID-19 pandemic. WSFS Bank is proud to provide Lavish, A Jenée Chanel Salon, with a $2,000 award and a live segment on FOX 29’s Good Day Philadelphia as part of the WSFS Bank Small Business Resiliency Program.

When Jenée Brockington and Turquoise McKenzie opened Lavish, A Jenée Chanel Salon, five years ago, the childhood friends couldn’t have imagined that the hair growth serum they developed for their loyal Philadelphia customers would spark their small business’ resurgence during a pandemic.

Their lifelong friendship began at 7 years old, when Turquoise would help Jenée do her hair before dance class. When they became business partners, Jenée and Turquoise committed themselves to helping women have healthy hair, something they both have dealt with personally.

As their business grew, their customers came to rely on the hair growth serum they created.

But when they were initially forced to shut down, Jenée and Turquoise knew they had to act fast to pay the mortgage and keep Lavish afloat while also providing their customers with the products and services they needed.

They began holding Zoom sessions with VIP customers to help them manage their hair at home, answer questions about various issues and just generally stay connected. Meanwhile, they devised a strategy to bottle, package, and fulfill their hair growth serum for local customers, spending their days at the closed salon filling orders and setting a few pickup days per week.

This strategy proved so successful that they developed accompanying at-home products that have transformed their business from a local salon to a successful retailer with customers as far as Texas and California.

Their products have become so popular that they have expanded their customer base beyond just hair styling!

Check out Jenée and Turquoise’s appearance on Good Day Philadelphia!

 

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About the Author – Eric Springer
Eric Springer is Assistant Vice President, Integrated Communications Manager at WSFS Bank. He brings more than 15 years’ experience in corporate communications and marketing for banking, professional services and nonprofit organizations.