Luis Naula and his assistant, Juanita
For Luis Naula, America was more than just a land of opportunity – it was a place where he could make his dreams a reality. Emigrating from Ecuador in 1987 was no easy task, from language barriers to figuring out how he was going to start his career. “I knew I wanted to have my own business, but I did not know where to start…it was a daunting situation with little to no English,” he recalls.
Initially, arriving in the United States proved to be a challenge for Luis, due to the pressures of supporting his family in Ecuador and adapting to the American culture. But it was Luis’s first job as a hair extension maker in a small shop in Brooklyn that inspired his new business venture. Today, he and his wife, Ana Naula, are the proud owners of Olimpic Hair Corp, located at Broadway a 161st Street in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan.
A look inside Olimpic Hair Corp
“Making hair pieces of any kind is an extremely complex process,” he shares. On a weekly basis, shipments of hair are delivered to Olimpic Hair Corp, and his assistant Juanita Lopez goes through every delivery and divides the hair by origin. Human hair from India, Latin America and China are then passed through a hair divider machine in order to eliminate any knot that may have formed through shipment. Naula believes that the key to having a great hair extension piece that will look natural is to make it out of 100% human virgin hair. The hair is washed, dried, brushed and hung to dry.
When customers step into Luis’s shop, hair of all textures, colors and lengths hang from the ceiling, waiting to be purchased and worn. Of his clientele, Naula says: “I get women of all ages, race and distinct hair type who want to purchase hair. They usually buy the hair piece from me, and take it to a salon to get sown in.” After purchasing hair from Olimpic Hair Corp, the process to long and luscious locks is just a short trip to the salon away.
Photo By: Catherine Ochoa
According to Luis, some customers are not aware of how much time and effort goes into making hair extensions.
“I get customers who try to bargain $80 dollars for an $150 dollar hair piece,” he said. “They are not aware of the attention and care that goes into making these pieces.” For Naula, providing quality over quantity has been essential to the success of his business, and he hopes to continue providing the Washington Heights area with hair extensions for years to come.
Luis Naula’s humble beginnings as a hair extension maker in a small shop in Brooklyn are what keeps him grounded. Learning the essentials on how to make quality hair pieces and operate a business prompted Luis to start Olimpic Hair Corp 10 years ago. He notes that hair extensions give many women who enter his business a greater sense of confidence, and he is happy to be a part of that.
“If I could offer anyone budding entrepreneur advice, it would be to believe in your idea…do not sacrifice the quality of your product,” he said.
With its growing clientele and a business history that spans ten years, Olimpic Hair Corp continues to remain a staple in Washington Heights for all its clients hair piece needs. Though Luis Nala recognizes that starting and running his own small business was tricky at first, he wouldn’t have it any other way.