*What started as a joke is now a positive and serious force in the community for Lynda U. The Irvine, CA wife and mother, who moved from Nigeria to the United States and settled in Southern California 19 years ago, has become a fixture of sorts with two businesses and a loyal clientele under her belt.
Lynda’s Hair & Beauty Supply Store and Lynda’s African Delicacies may have different purposes with what they provide, but they operate under the same motivation. To exercise their owner’s love of food, her customs, traditions and community.
According to Blavity, cooking has always been a part of Lynda’s life. So much so that the spark was lit for self-employment with Lynda’s Hair & Beauty Supply Store, her first venture. It was there that customers got a preview of what was to come being served home-cooked meals while Lynda braided hair at her home.
A food truck she developed would later follow as well as the opening of her current takeout eatery. Although styling hair was a solid business path, Lynda admits starting a restaurant was far from her professional bucket list.
“I opened the hair business when I was pregnant with my now 17-year-old, and I was wondering what can I do to stay home in order to make some income,” she told Blavity about her initial plan. “And it was just like a joke at first. I did one of my niece’s hair. When she went to school, everybody started asking her, ‘Who did your hair?’ And I built my clientele that way.”
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In line with its name, Lynda’s Hair & Beauty Supply Store doubles as a beauty supply store, selling braiding hair, hair products and scarves, among other products. With Irvine’s small Black population, the hair-braiding saloon quickly found success.
To hear one frequent customer tell it, Blavity pointed out, Lynda’s businesses take care of their customers from the inside out—through the nourishment of their bodies to the adornment of their crowns.
Lynda’s success with the hair and beauty supply store expanded into her cooking skills striking a positive nerve in the community with Lynda’s African Delicacies.
The takeout restaurant, coined the best African food in Irvine, offers a wide selection of flavorful African dishes that range from jollof rice to suya and fufu. Vegetarian options, grilled meats and seafood add to the business, which is located just a short walk away from Lynda’s Hair & Beauty Supply Store.
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Prior to transitioning into a brick-and-mortar location upon opening in November, the business operated for five years. Within months, Lynda realized the food business was outgrowing the hair business. As a result, plans now call for the eating spot to expand with dine-in options.
“It’s not going to be a pickup spot because we think people in the community like to sit down and eat and talk. So the next one is going to be a sit-down restaurant for sure,” Lynda said.
Breaking down her good fortune, the businesswoman labeled the support she’s received from Irvine as welcoming and wide-reaching.
“It’s very nice,” she said. “I like the community, and I can see that we are well accepted here, and that’s why we have a lot of patronage from different kinds of tribes and different kinds of people.”
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