We had the good fortune of connecting with Latravia Cropp and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Latravia, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m from a small town in New York State called Poughkeepsie. Unfortunately my father passed at the age of five and my mother was unable to care for my siblings and me due to a drug addiction. However due to those conditions my siblings, and I was removed from the home and placed into foster care with our grandparents, who by the grace of GOD happen to be certified by the state to foster children. After almost six months of belonging to the state our grandparents decided to adopt us. Without getting too much into detail, that entire experience from the day of being removed from my mothers home I can remember to this day in detail. Visitation she never showed up to and all. That experience alone mad me say to myself “ when I have children I never want them to feel this way nor will I neglect them”. Non the less I’m very grateful for my grandparents who are both now deceased. They put their lives aside even after retirement to raise children all over again. My grandparents kept us active in church, made sure we excelled academically in school, allowed us to participate in sports & extra-curricular activities and taught me everything I know today. I always wanted to make them proud, become a successful individual so that I could return the favor and one day take care of them as they did me. My grandmother died when I was 13, so I was unable to show her however I was very hands on and took great care of her in her last days . I was able as an adult to do trips with grandad, lunch, go to church , laugh , always could call him when I was going through things. December of 2018 he was called home , I was there every step of the way throughout his days of sickness until he took his last breath. These amazing people molded and shaped me into the person today. They’re the reason I strive each and everyday to be the best version of me. I also have two beautiful children that I would never want to experience what I went through. I teach my children to respect others, be obedient to their parents, excel academically, and have a mind of their own don’t be followers. My children depend on and look up to me. My grandparents and Dad are watching over me every day they are all, “MY REASON” and have tremendously impacted the person I am today.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m entering my 16th year in the beauty industry and I’m still in love. Starting off in this industry consist of a lot of dedicated, sleepless nights, and consistently. Throughout my career I can’t count how many times I wanted to give up and pursue a 9-5. I would go to bed considering and wake up like, NO YOU CAN DO THIS. Some days I would sit all day and not service one client in the salon which can eventually become discouraging. Specially when those days turn into weeks with no income. Nothing was easy about this journey, I would be lying if I told you it was. So many lessons have been learned along the way ., My favorite one is, ” all money ain’t good money”. A lot of times people would come in with a pre-existing issue and somewhat take it out on who ever is around them. My sanity is worth more than a dollar if you can’t control your emotions and give off negative vibes while being serviced you will be asked to leave. This is something I learned years into my career as I matured. I overcame a lot of my challenges with prayer and consistency. I can honestly say it was all well-worth it and I accomplished it all with no monetary help from anyone. GOD has always made a way for me, TrayStylze is my brand. It’s who I’ve become as a hair artist. What sets me apart from others in the industry is my versatility and my ability to service multiple clients at one time and get them in and out in a timely fashion. I don’t have one area of concentration. I do ,”HAIR” no matter what ethnicity, color or race. Whether it’s weave, natural hair, short hair, cuts, and coloring, lashes or eyebrows I’ve mastered them all. TrayStylze purpose is to service / build relationships with her clients, make the clients experience a great one by providing excellent customer service, and last but not least have walking out with a smile ready to take on the world with confidence.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is such a beautiful place and the home of a lot of successful African American entrepreneurs. I always encourage people specially from small towns to visit for encouragement. I would definitely take my friend & family to BQE lounge located on Edgewood ave. They have great food and drinks, live band, excellent customer service, seating, and a vibe like no other. It’s nice place to unwind after a long day/week or just to have a great time and listen to good music, eat and drink with good people.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a special shout out to my grandparents who are now in heaven, With out them I don’t know where or who I would be today. The foundation, structure, tough love and nurturing they provided molded me into this fearless, strong minded, nurturing, selfless, loving, dedicated, and ambitious mom /woman/entrepreneur I am today

Instagram: TrayStylze

Image Credits
Professional photo- Jawan Scott Jawan Scott -Facebook @official_connections_ – Instagram