Hidden Gems: Meet Armani & Ameela Covington of The Gallery Beauty Supply

Today we’d like to introduce you to Armani & Ameela Covington. 

Hi Armani & Ameela, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Hello, we’re so excited for this opportunity. We (Ameela and Armani Covington) always loved the beauty industry! Ameela attended Barber school and cosmology school. I’ve been in love with the beauty industry as long as I could remember. I started a hair accessory line in college and fell in love with product side of the beauty industry. We then decided in 2021 to start a beauty supply. We looked at tons of buildings before deciding on the one in Southgate. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not; we’re honestly thankful it wasn’t this process has taught us so much! We’ve struggled deciding on the perfect inventory and also finding the perfect location! We were so specific about the location. We wanted to be located where there weren’t other beauty supplies in a very close distance and downriver where we’re from. A lot of owners didn’t want to rent us because of our age, and they didn’t believe in our vision. By the grace of God, we found the perfect location and the perfect owner! 

As you know, we’re big fans of The Gallery Beauty Supply. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
We’re the first black-owned beauty supply in Southgate, MI. My sister and I opened this store because of our passion for beauty and the lack of representation within the industry. African American women spend so much money with beauty supply stores but very few stores are owned by women like us. The owners typically don’t have an understanding of our hair and our needs. We want to bring the diversity to the industry and relatability as well. We’re so excited to have an inclusive store! We will have products for all hair types. This is why are store name is The Gallery Beauty Supply; it’s all about picturing your own beauty! 

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
We were both super shy and to ourselves. We grew up in a big family with 3 brothers and 6 sisters. We’re the middle children, so it was kind of easy for us to hide in the background. We also would play in our hair and with makeup. We loved going to the hairdresser and the whole process of getting our hair done. We were always attracted to the beauty industry. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/gallerybeautysupply?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGalleryBeautySupply?mibextid=LQQJ4d