Empowering Curls & Commerce: Amaya Smith’s Journey Navigating Product Junkie Through a Pandemic

Women of color know that it can be difficult to find the products that they want and need for their hair, and today’s guest, Amaya Smith, saw that need and responded by creating her brick and mortar business, Product Junkie. Amaya envisioned a brick and mortar customer experience from the start. Then COVID-19 happened. Listen to today’s episode to hear Amaya’s story and learn how her business was affected by the pandemic, how she pivoted, and what resources and tips she has for other businesses in the same boat. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

✔ What the Product Junkie brand is all about ✔ How Amaya started the brand ✔ How COVID-19 has affected Amaya’s business ✔ What changes Amaya made due to the pandemic ✔ Amaya’s recommendations for other entrepreneurs ✔ New technology that Amaya has implemented over this time period ✔ Trends that Amaya has seen change on the consumer side ✔ Advice for brick and mortar operators during the pandemic ✔ Places that Amaya would recommend visiting in the DC area

Resources:

Amaya Smith Product Junkie

QUOTES:

“We really tried to curate a nice mix of brands for customers and also bringing in some unique items and brands you can’t find in other stores is really our big selling point.” “It was a huge challenge to figure out how to really pivot super super quick with the business.” “The DIY movement is increasing even more.”