For a long time, there have been no beauty supply stores within a five minute drive of Morgan State University. As an HBCU, it is imperative for students to have access to Black hair care and supplies. In 2023, this finally changed with the opening of Beauty Plus in Northwood Commons. 

Beauty Plus, a Black and Morgan alumni owned beauty supply store, had its soft opening on Dec. 26 and prepares for its official grand opening on Feb. 11.

Behind the Beauty Plus are two HBCU graduates, a married couple, Quintin and Megan Lathan. Quintin, a graduate of Morgan State University, and Megan, a graduate of Bowie State University, understand how important it is for HBCU students to have access to beauty and hair care products meant for Black people. 

“We are the main users of beauty supply products. We know about the products. We know how it interacts with our hair, we can speak to it. We can give people a personalized shopping experience that no other culture can provide in this element. Also, just ownership and entrepreneurship in general within the black community is essential to the growth and progress of our community at large” Megan Lathan said.

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Elijah Pittman

Quintin Lathan, went on to speak on how Black people own less than one percent of the beauty supply industry, but are 99 percent of the consumer base. 

“Now being able to shop in the shopping center, one, and then also in the industry where we still don’t have a lot of ownership, getting the first African-American owned beauty supply store in that shopping center is huge to us” said Quintin Lathan. 

The Lathans’ are eager to be here and be of service to the Morgan and Baltimore community. They’ve already seen an influx of students come into the store and have seen the excitement on their faces upon realizing there is now a beauty supply store in walking distance from campus. 

Morgan students are now seeing the rise of Northwood Commons, after the university’s plan to transform the neighboring shopping center began in 2018. Though the shopping center isn’t completely finished, some locations have already started to open. 

The vision of Northwood Shopping Center was created in 1948. At this time, Martin D. Jenkins, the sixth president of Morgan State College, was transitioning from Howard University into his new position. 

At its beginning, Northwood featured a grocery store, laundry service, beauty salon, caterer, candy store, shoe repair, dentist, and Read’s Drugstore. Read’s Drugstore would later become a monument in, not only Morgan State history, but African-American history. 

The opening of Beauty Plus marks the beginning of a great era for Morgan State as the school continues to grow and expand. 

In Beauty Plus, shoppers can find braiding hair extensions, edge control, and some of the top Black hair care products.