So Lady Like Salon
The Only Black Hair Salon in Maumelle, Arkansas
Despite Maumelle’s largely upper-class white population and country-club atmosphere, So Lady Like Salon’s owner, Joyce Credit, opened the salon because she recognized a need for a salon catering to the African-American Community of Maumelle. “We are the only black salon and there is a need,” she says.
A couple of blocks from City Hall and tucked inside a strip mall, So Lady Like has quite an unassuming storefront. The two rather large glossy photos of stylish black women in the windows clearly indicate that a salon is housed here – in particular a salon that is unique to this community.
The salon offers the typical hair-only services of most salons. These include cuts, braids, twists, weaves and more. Credit says cuts and weaves are main specialties at So Lady Like, but lately, “wraps or body wraps…are what most people are asking for.”
Although Maumelle has a black population of only about 5 percent, according to 2006 Census Bureau reports, the salon brings an important service and image to the community, which lies about 15 miles northwest of Little Rock, Credit says. Many of her clients are Maumelle residents, but there are some that come in from Little Rock and other places outside of Maumelle.
“We bring courtesy and friendliness. We make you feel like you are at home. We treat you like a person, not just a client,” she says.
Credit’s career as a stylist began about 10 years ago. She grew up in Mayflower, just north of Little Rock, studied at Thelma’s Beauty Academy in Little Rock, and after working at several salons, she eventually chose to open her own to get away from the “drama” at some of the salons where she worked.
“I wanted peace and no hostility. I also wanted to work in my own space,” she explains.
The biggest challenge in running her own salon, Credit says, is working with the myriad personalities of clients, especially those that may be difficult to satisfy. Her No. 1 goal as a stylist is to make sure that every one of her clients is satisfied.
Credit, who lives in Maumelle with her husband and two children, loves to shop and travel when she’s not working. And, she feels that the key to So Lady Like’s success is her passion.
“You have to love doing hair. You have to love it and be passionate about it. If you are just in it for the money, you will burn out,” she says, proudly looking around her own space.
For more information on So Lady Like Salon’s services and features, call (501) 851-2900.
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