In middle school, JaHannah Queen Mary Pitchford turned to
makeup as a confidence-building tool while enduring school bullying.
“I started playing around with makeup and I fell in love
with it because it made me feel pretty,” said Pitchford. “I thought, if that’s
what makes me happy, why can’t I do that for other women?”
A licensed esthetician of five years, Pitchford, in June,
opened Queen’s
Palace Wax & Beauty Salon in Feasterville. Three
months before her grand opening, she began mentoring with Nina De Rosa of SCORE
Bucks County, who guided her in everything from finding an accountant,
reviewing financials, marketing, applying for grants, developing a business
plan, and, perhaps most importantly, finding a space for Pitchford’s business.
“I suggested that she look into salon suites,” De Rosa
said of her solution to high rents for traditional brick and mortar locations.
“It seems to be a growing trend, and with the type of clientele that was
frequenting them, she could certainly tap into the traffic.”
Pitchford chose this area because of its proximity to
public transportation, and its location in a busy shopping center.
Business has been good for the solopreneur. Pitchford
credited her mentor.
“I needed her to help me make that first jump,” Pitchford
said. “She’s a prominent figure in my business. I would always want her there
every step of the way.”
De Rosa continues to mentor Pitchford biweekly. Looking
ahead, Pitchford will lean on De Rosa – and her extensive human resources
expertise – in the next year or two when she adds staff for her beauty services
business, which features total body wax treatments, facials, eyebrow tinting,
and makeup applications.
A North Penn High School graduate, Pitchford strives to
use the bullying she endured as a catalyst for positive change. This summer,
Queen’s Palace Wax & Beauty Salon began an ongoing partnership with A
Woman’s Place Domestic Violence Center in Doylestown. Through the Get-A-Wax
& Give-A-Wax campaign, customers who purchase a wax hair removal service
will be providing a woman in crisis with a complimentary wax hair removal
service.
“Domestic violence awareness is a big part of the
business’ mission,” she said, adding that she hopes her salon is a “safe space”
for women. “(Estheticians) notice things that you normally wouldn’t notice,
like scars and bruises. I want to actually have that conversation, ‘hey, are
you OK?’”
Pitchford recently visited Bucks County Community College
and handed out customized gift bags that contained complimentary eyebrow wax
vouchers, and literature about intimate personal violence among young adults.
The Queen’s Palace motto is “Embrace Your Royal.”
Pitchford strives to convey this message as she continues to inspire
women, especially adolescents and young adults.
“You can do anything you put your mind to.”
About
SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 11 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each
year, SCORE provides small business mentoring and workshops to more
than 375,000 new and growing small businesses.?With more than 70 members across Bucks and Eastern Montgomery
counties, SCORE Bucks?County?provides over 4,300 free mentoring services
annually to local small business owners
through one-on-one counseling and small business seminars. To stay up to date on news and happenings,
join SCORE Bucks County’s email list. Text
SCOREBUCKS to 22828.
