African-American owned beauty salons have long been known for providing their customers an oasis away from the world where they could feel free to bond and gossip. “Beauty salons serve as important hubs of communication and connectivity and sometimes a rite of passage for African-American women,� said Alefiyah Merchant, Baileys Brand Manager for Diageo. “Baileys’ support of shop owners and stylists is a perfect means to help further stimulate their businesses.�
Baileys Original Irish Cream, the top selling liqueur in the world, has created the Baileys Beauty Shop, an innovative, breakthrough program that celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of urban beauty salon owners across the country and provides their businesses with interior design makeovers.
This month, G’s Urban Hair Styles Salon in Brooklyn was selected as the New York recipient for a salon makeover. Recognizing that urban beauty salons along with barber shops have historically been the most influential, respected, and staple business enterprises within African-American communities, Baileys Beauty Shop is a unique way to assist salon owners in raising their visibility within their respective neighborhoods.
African-American owned beauty salons have long been known for providing their customers an oasis away from the world where they could feel free to bond and gossip. “Beauty salons serve as important hubs of communication and connectivity and sometimes a rite of passage for African-American women,� said Alefiyah Merchant, Baileys Brand Manager for Diageo. “Baileys’ support of shop owners and stylists is a perfect means to help further stimulate their businesses.�
The Baileys makeover transforms the salon into an upscale retreat complete with new mirrors, furniture, workstations, and a fresh coat of paint incorporating Baileys signature colors into the space. The makers of Baileys liqueur chose G’s Urban Hair Styles Salon in Brooklyn because of salon owner, Garvin Greaves’ vision, commitment to the community, and his continued efforts to live his dream.
As a young child, the Trinidad-native would sit on his mother’s porch and cut his neighbors’ hair. At the age of 21, Greaves migrated to the United States to achieve his goals of owning a hair salon. “I’m honored that G’s was selected to be part of the Baileys Beauty Shop program,� said Garvin Greaves. “It has always been my dream to own an upscale beauty salon and now my dream has become a reality.�
In addition to the interior design makeover, Baileys liqueur and G’s Urban Hair Styles will host private, invitation-only networking events on Thursday evenings where salon guests 21 and older can enjoy live entertainment, refreshments, and complimentary beauty treatments. The official launch event will took place on March 30.
“Girlfriends love hanging out at the shop and catching up with each other. Knowing they can completely be themselves at the beauty shop is important, and we believe there is no better way to responsibly enjoy Baileys than when getting together with friends,� said Merchant. “But more importantly, we want to be a part of what’s happening in the community, and we want to put a stake in the ground to say we support small business leaders that make every day life more enjoyable.�
The New York launch follows a successful November 2005 introduction in Philadelphia. The Baileys Beauty Shop will also make stops in Chicago, L.A., Washington D.C., Atlanta, Houston, and Detroit through June 2006. G’s Urban Hair Styles Salon is located at 75 St. Marks Avenue, between Flatbush & Carlton Avenues, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
Baileys Original Irish cream liqueur was launched in Ireland in 1974. It is now available in 180 markets worldwide and is the #1 selling liqueur in the world. 1 Baileys Original Irish cream liqueur is currently ranked 6th among all distilled spirits sold worldwide. Owned by Diageo, Baileys contents are a blend of Irish whiskey, fresh double cream and other fine ingredients. For more information on Baileys Original Irish Cream, please visit us at www.baileys.com.
The Baileys brand is owned by Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks business. Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 200 countries around the world and is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE).
For more information visit www.diageo.com.
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