We had the good fortune of connecting with Kamilah Alim and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Kamilah, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was raised between Syracuse, New York and Atlanta, Georgia. One thing about Atlanta is that the power of the black community was realized from a very young age. I attended and all black school and most of our community events involved people who looked just like me. We knew people in our community who had businesses and we supported them. Spending my teen years in Syracuse taught me how to hustle. I saw people get money in various ways and it inspired me to find my passion. Early on I decided to go to Cosmetology school at 17 followed by attending the local community college for business management. Fast forward 20 plus years I am still driven to support black businesses and I am still able to make money in the beauty industry.
What should our readers know about your business?
As a 20 plus year beauty veteran, my business was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. When the world stopped beauty had to take a back seat and staying healthy and safe became the priority. Thankfully, I learned a long time ago to have something that makes you money, something you are good at, and something you are passionate about. 5 years ago I found myself overweight and depressed. I decided to change my life and start a healing journey. I stumbled upon Dr. Sebi and began taking seamoss, changed my eating habits and lost 85 pounds. As a hairstylist most of my clients became family and soon many began to purchase seamoss from me when they came to get their hair done. So when the pandemic caused everything else to come to a halt, the seamoss business flourished and now I am the owner of Mossed Up where I provide the nutrient rich seamoss in a way that is not only easy to ingest but delicious. I was able to leverage my relationships to solidify a direct distribution from Ochos Rios and a significant investment deal. For me the biggest lesson has been to remain flexible. Twist and turns will happen. The road will be rocky, but keep the faith, work hard, and never give up. I shifted my custom unit business Afro allure to included wig maintenance in this new world of zoom meetings. A temporary look is still necessary.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love the Ponce city Market and the Beltline. In the day time you can join the crowd and grab a bike or scooter and enjoy some outdoor fun. It has been my covid safe play space. At night the bletline has restaraunts with outdoor eating and you also have direct access to Ponce city market. Here you can enjoy shopping, great food, and they have a roof top area with a bar and games. Perfect for a date night. I’m a foodie so some of my favorite restaurants are Poor Calvins, Mali, and Sivas.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
One of the first people who recognized my talent as a young hairstylist was my grandmother. When I was 11 she bought me all of the latest hairstyling tools. By 13 I was our family hairstylist and barber. My grandmother was a hustler. She owned several properties in Syracuse including a restaurant, bar, a hotel, and boarding homes for homeless and mentally disadvantaged individuals. I admired her ambition and her ability to be strong and fierce as a Black woman. The more I understood who she was I realized I have a long lineage of strongwomen in my family. As a teen I learned that my grandmother was the grand daughter of Anna short Harrington, also known Aunt Jemima. She fought for our family legacy until her death in 1995.
Website: mossedup.com
Instagram: @wemossedup