Hidden Gems: Meet Lameca Mickens of Exquisite Beauty Emporium

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lameca Mickens. 

Hi Lameca, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Lameca Mickens is an serial entrepreneur who has launched multiple successful businesses throughout her career. Currently she is the founder and CEO of Mickens Enterprises, Vivid Imaginations Child Care Center, L & R Developments, and Exquisite Beauty Emporium. Lameca is a mother of three children. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (BA), with majors in Management and Political Science, from Morehead State University in 1999. She also received a Master’s degree in Finance and Business Management (MBA) from Webster University in 2004; she graduated with honors. Along with over 25 years of management experience. Lameca is very involved with numerous community service projects. Her hobbies include spending time with her family, traveling, cooking, shopping, reading, sleeping, and trading foreign currencies. 

Exquisite Beauty Emporium has been the most challenging business to open to date. A billion-dollar business to be a part of, exclusive for African Americans. Asians have dominated the market for decades due to distributors being solely owned by Asians. 99% of the revenue that come into beauty supply store are by women of color. Being an African American woman, I have faced barriers opening accounts to supply my store. Top beauty supply distributors like Shake N Go, Bobbiboss, and Harlem 125 would not allow my store to open accounts. I had to travel to bigger cities within the United States to network with other black-owned beauty supply stores just to stock my store. By the grace of God, I made a way out of no way to fill up my store. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No. It was hard to supply my beauty supply store. I had to travel out of Kentucky and network with other Minority beauty supply store owners. This was the only way to stock the store for customers to have quality products. It took 2 years before I could get the major accounts open to supply the store. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Exquisite Beauty Emporium, LLC was founded in 2018, by Lameca Yankey in Louisville, Kentucky. Exquisite Beauty Emporium is a beauty supply store. We specialize in luxurious hair extensions, wigs, braiding hair, hair products, and glamorous beauty supply products. We are known for our high-quality Mink Bundles and Mink Wigs. What sets my business apart from other beauty supply stores? We have licensed hairstylists helping customers. This way customers can ask questions about different products or hairstyle options. My most popular brand is our signature Exquisite Beauty Emporium brand products. Our Brazilian Mink hair is 100% virgin and is selected from the highest quality single donor. Our hair is not mixed with multiple donors or processed. Our hair has the finest cuticles intact facing the same direction from root to end. This allows the virgin hair to blend giving you a natural look. With proper maintenance, our hair will last up to 2 years or more. Our “Exquisite” textures include Straight, Body Wave, Loose Wave, Deep Wave, Pineapple Wave, Kinky Straight, and Kinky Curly. Our mink hair color varies from natural off black to brown. With a professional stylist hair can be lifted to color 613 platinum blonde. The weight of our bundles: 3.2 oz.- 3.5 oz. (about 100 grams). Our luxurious mink hair collection feels like silk to the touch with an “Exquisite Shine”. You will surely turn heads and stand out from the rest. 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I grew up in government housing projects.

Contact Info:

• Email: exquisitebeauty1908@gmail.com
• Website: www.theexquisitebeautyemporium.com
• Instagram: exquisitebeauty_pink
• Facebook: Exquisite Beauty Emporium

Image Credits
Erik Branch
Denisha McCauley-Young