Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Shekia Bedenbaugh-Abraham.
Hi Kayla Shekia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up, I’d always do my mannequin’s hair and play like teaching my stuffed animals. Ironically, I was fortunate enough to be a part of Richland Northeast High School’s cosmetology class during my sophomore year of high school. Before graduating, in my Junior year, I gave birth to my daughter KhyLii. Later, in 2013, I graduated from cosmetology and high school but wanted to pursue the nursing program at a local technical college. Later, I realized I did not want to be a nurse after all. I wanted to be free to choose my work schedule and make people feel beautiful! I worked as a licensed cosmetologist in 2014-2016 to broaden my experience and build my portfolio. In June of 2016, I graduated and became licensed as an esthetician. At 21, I now had two licenses under my belt! From that point, I decided to walk a path that many people, young and old, have only dreamed of by launching and turning my idea into a reality: building a real business.
I had the guts to take that courageous step and open my storefront. I created my lash course in the challenging world of beauty with the help of God, mentors, and my stride and determination. In May 2017, I became the owner and operator of Shek (pronounced “sheek”) Luxe Studio. It all started in a small room in an office building in my hometown of Columbia, SC. Only 1 year later, I expanded into a storefront building near the Vista in downtown Columbia, where Shek Luxe Studio maintained a 5-star rating. Since then, I have serviced over 1000 clients, including hair removal, skin care, brow enhancements, needle-free lip fillers, make-up, lash extensions, color services, silk presses, and luxury extensions, to name a few. In 2020, I finished getting my instructor’s license right before the shut down went into effect, and that’s when things changed for me and the entire world!
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Things ran smoothly for the initial years of business as I monopolized the lash extensions trade within North and South Carolina for a few years until more ladies learned the trade and competition grew. I am confident that I started the trend or awareness for women to start their own business, specifically, a lash business. I provided lash extension classes where I trained more than 500 ladies—most of whom became lash techs and business owners. Struggles came later when we were faced with the pandemic. Business slowed, people were out of work and couldn’t afford to keep up the services. If you were non-essential like myself, you were mandated to shut down business for months. Luckily, my lease with my landlord had been up, but I had to decide on renewing my lease or finding somewhere to work, so I decided to work in someone else’s shop for a couple of years as a booth renter. That was a major adjustment; however, everything happens for a reason. For years, I had been busy working to build my business, and I needed the break from so much responsibility! I wasn’t complaining; honestly, God supplied all my needs in many ways I often didn’t know how.
Since then, I have worked under my business name but only part-time after being allowed to teach at a well-known cosmetology school in my hometown, which I won’t mention because I am currently no longer there. I was very grateful for that opportunity to be a full-time instructor, but now I am ready to get back out and run my business like I used to. I would be lying if I said the journey was easy, but it was well-needed to get me to see where I wanted to be and what to do with my business.
In 2022, I launched my professional lash extensions product line and luxury hair extensions line, and I’m super excited to be relaunching my classes in 2024. 2023 has been an unfortunate year for me, losing my dad, former classmate, and friend, as well as my grandmother, all within 3 months. I have been taking time to grieve, but I’m also using the pain to motivate me to keep going! I pray daily for courage, hope, and guidance for the future. I believe God will do just that! 2024 will be the year of Restoration and I’m looking forward to working full time in my business again! One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Thanks for sharing that. Can you tell us more about your business next?
I have been known for being Columbia’s “favorite esthetician” for many years until I rebranded and decided to offer luxury hair extension services in 2021. What sets me apart is consistently being confident, unique, innovative, and authentic. I always knew what I wanted to do and did it! I’ve always believed in what I was doing and stayed steps ahead when providing services. I would always introduce the latest service in the industry that our city hadn’t seen yet. I would train with other successful business owners and bring those same services back to my hometown in Columbia, SC, to constantly improve my trade knowledge. I’m most proud of my ability to congratulate and support other business owners. I’m also aware of how I can pivot and remain a student. Entrepreneurship is hard. You have to learn and grow constantly. I never give up and persevere through my adversities.
I’d love my supporters and readers new to hearing about my business to know this is my career, my baby, and my passion! I think people often like to ride the wave, do what’s trendy, try to do something others are doing to make a few quick bucks but aren’t passionate about, or even treat their business like a hobby, but that’s not me! I take pride and work hard to create new ways to make my clients feel and look better. I invest in myself and my business. I believe your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, and how you make people feel is your trademark. My character and reputation have always been important, so I prioritize my clients and provide excellent customer service. Without my clients, there is no Shek Luxe! I’m so grateful for everyone who’s supported me thus far and who plans to in the future. I don’t take any one of them for granted.
Furthermore, I’d like people to know I am fun and down-to-earth. I think most times our clients or outsiders forget we are human and we have a real life too! So many years have been dedicated to my business, and I never felt like I could take a day off, plan a vacation, or even handle family matters. Still, I appreciate my time with friends and family since life has changed! I’m even dating now after years of being single. Sometimes, I want to be understood and valued as a mom, businesswoman, and person. We all have many layers that make us who we are, and to pour into others, I have to pour into myself first so that I am fully capable of being the best version of myself within my family, business, and relationship!
I love it when people also do what I do. Because I am multifaceted, multi-hyphenated, and multitalented, I can’t be placed in just one category. One thing is for sure: I am a beauty enthusiast! I love the aesthetics of all things. It’s no secret that Shek Luxe is a high-end luxury brand specializing in luxury hair extensions and aesthetic services. However, I recently became a short-term rental stylist and launched my company, Haus of Shek! I offer short-term rental staging for investors starting Airbnb; there is also a host of other services to choose from, such as virtual Edesign for the DIYers, decor shopping for those who hate shopping for decor and furniture, salon suite decor for salon suite owners, aesthetic styling for those needing a few styling tips and accent walls for your new space or content studio. If you aren’t, please follow both IG business pages @shekluxe and @hausofshek. Stay tuned and turn on your notifications because there are so many things in store for Shek Luxe and Haus of Shek in 2024 that we can’t wait to share!
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I think I’ll start with what I dislike about our city, in particular the rise in domestic violence cases and overall crime in general. Although this may be a State of South Carolina thing, I dislike the laws for cosmetologists and estheticians that haven’t been changed or updated since 1966! Things have evolved and been improved upon, and we are still stuck on old ways of doing things! Even the textbooks given to learn from are outdated. This is why most of our talented entrepreneurs are moving to other thriving cities across the states. It’s so important to feel like you can grow wherever you are. No one likes to feel stagnant or missing out on something. Things are supposed to be the American dream. But anyway, we, as in our state, tend to get on board with things late from most of the other major cities, so I feel like that can be a disadvantage to us, well, for some. Still, I look at it as an advantage for other entrepreneurs like myself who strive to present new things to the community. I tend to educate myself and learn in different cities from other professionals who successfully scale their businesses and bring those skills back here. I guess you can say that’s what I like about the city; you can easily monopolize when you’re the only one doing that service! A few other things I like about the city are the number of resources we have to help local business owners. We’ve seen such a rise in businesses opening up since the pandemic. Especially the new food places because I’m such a foodie. I am also proud of our peak in entertainment spots and concerts because, for a while, we were running out of different things to do here outside of just going to Myrtle Beach, the shopping malls, or the movie theaters.
Pricing:
- Soft glam makeup starts at $80
- Silk presses start at $100
- Lash extensions start at $150
- Needle-free lip fillers start at $200
- Luxury hair extension installs start at $400
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.shekluxe.com
- Instagram: @shekluxe & @hausofshek
- Facebook: Shek Luxe
- Pinterest: @hausofshek
