29/11/2024 3:20 PM

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Fashion The Revolution

Ms. Key’s Beauty Supplies opens shop, expands business in East Topeka

Kelana Boykin, owner of Ms. Key's Beauty Supplies, at 400 S.E. Lake St., walks through her store Tuesday while showing off the selection of products she has in stock.

For about two years, Topekan Kelana Boykin has been working to address a need in the capital city.

As a longtime resident of East Topeka, Boykin noticed there weren’t many beauty-supply stores in the area that catered to the needs of Black women

“In Topeka, we only have one location to buy Black hair products,” Boykin said. “I wanted to give them another option.”

So in 2019, she stood up Ms. Key’s Beauty Supplies as an online-only shop.

It seemed to be a hit, and during the coronavirus pandemic, Boykin expanded her services to offer porch pickups.

“The need for me when I started porch pickup was overwhelming,” Boykin said. “From there, I said, ‘Let’s give them somewhere to go.'”