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The end of a chaper🤍

Like everything I do with Miss Rizos, I always come here to tell you first. Today is no different and I come to you not as a businesswoman, but as the girl with the big dreams that many of you met 13+ years ago.  It’s also important to me to share as much as I can, transparently and raw. 

 

We are closing Miss Rizos Salon NYC on August 31st of this year. This is heartbreaking, and I’ve cried so much—each time I told a team member, as I laid in bed at the end of the day, grappling with this reality. It’s been a really difficult time, amidst the happiest time in my life as a new mom. I have felt feelings of defeat, failure, and disappointment some days, but then I realize that it took so much courage to do what I did and even more today as I make this decision.

 

We are not closing because of the lack of support from the community. We see 400-500 people on a monthly basis and y’all keep us booked and busy often. A lot of things happened from dragging our losses and debt from COVID, really bad hires, not having the right structure for our business, lacking a strong administrative team, lack of access to capital in order to properly grow and scale, and honestly a million other reasons. 

 

Just five months from the day we opened, the pandemic hit. We had to close the salon for four months and then reopen to a state mandate of only 50% capacity, but still paying 100% of our expenses for months on end.

 

Beyond the pandemic, I’ve had many business heartbreaks and setbacks in recent years. Most recently, my postpartum leave was cut short, and I was back to work just six weeks after delivering my baby via c-section, getting preeclampsia, and being hospitalized just a few days after leaving the hospital. At 10 weeks postpartum, I was already in the warehouse away from my baby, packing orders and trying my hardest to keep this all alive. It’s been so hard to keep this business going, and it’s taken a huge toll on me as the person who bears the responsibility.

 

We often see businesses open and rarely know the amount of work, time, sacrifices, and money that goes into starting them and keeping them open. It’s the invisible work that founders take on and make it look easy. It’s the late nights, the worry about meeting the rent and payroll, dealing with the IRS, the lack of time with family, and the loneliness. For example, I didn’t even take a salary until March of last year, and when I did, it was not nearly what I deserved. 

  

What's next for Miss Rizos? I’m currently in three mentorship programs to strengthen our brand. With more time, I will focus on our products, the Miss Rizos Foundation, and Miss Rizos Salon DR. I’m incredibly proud of our DR team, who have worked to expand the space to include a color bar, mani-pedi stations, and a café bar. This location will remain our headquarters and innovation lab for testing new curly products. Products will be available in-store until the end of August and online until stock runs out. I will be working hard to continue to give life to these incredible products and will keep you updated.



So what’s next for me? I will continue to create, to write more (I miss writing so much and reading). I want to take a few steps back and recalibrate my brand, properly fundraise, and my dream is still to launch our products in Sephora (worldwide). I’ve learned so much from being in business for over 10 years, so I will open up office hours again very soon. I still help manage the Dominican Republic salon and foundation. But what I am most excited about is spending more quality time with my baby boy. I am also going to love on myself, and focus  on my health. Since 2019, I’ve gained over 70 pounds! I am ready to get back to me and also focus on my little family. I recently got engaged and feel so excited about this part of my life. We are also leaving the city and moving upstate! One this is true, I am not defined by this closing or by one venture. 

 

I am beyond grateful for my New York City team who has stood by me and this salon day in and day out. So much gratitude for the DR team, who helped me make this decision and who have been there for me through the very highs and the very lows. I am so proud of us, and I will continue to work for this community to infinity and beyond. I hope you join me on my next adventures.


I overcame the unimaginable, and together we’ve accomplished so much on that corner in Washington Heights. You kept us open for over 5 years. But the end of this story marks a happy beginning for one of our stylists. Samanda, who worked with us in the Dominican Republic salon for 3 years, moved to Florida last year. I asked her to come and cover for me for 2 weeks while I visited DR back in November of last year and she stayed. She got her barbering license, found a home and created a beautiful clientele in like 6 months! I am passing the baton to her and she will be operating the salon under a new name. I am wishing her all the best.

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