Universal Beauty Supply, the go-to place for Black beauty supplies in Oakland, is closing its doors after spending five decades serving the community.
At the business on Telegraph Avenue, hair products and history are being packed away.
"I feel like I gave a lot of people jobs," Universal Beauty Supply owner John Sholes said. "I accomplished a lot of things."
Sholes started the business to fill a void providing representation that he says was missing at the time.
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"I was just trying to serve the community," he said. "Trying to get something that everybody can take advantage of."
Sholes, 84, planned to pass the business on to his daughter, but she died of COVID-19 during the pandemic, causing him to close his doors.
For many, including hair stylists like Glynis Holloway, Universal was much more than just a beauty supply store.
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"It's like the picture in the frame," she said. "For Black women, hair is everything."
Holloway shopped at Universal weekly and said the store provided knowledge and access to crucial supplies for her own salon that aren't easy to find in the East Bay.
"It's going to be a big void because we are not going to be able to find specific products that we are going to need," she said. "No one else has them or they can't really tell us how to use them."
While the shelves are now clear of supplies and it's not clear who will fill the void, Sholes hopes his success will give others the roadmap to success.
"The next generation come along they can look at me and say that he did it. If he can do it, I can do it. I just feel like that is the way it should go," Sholes said.
