Atira Lyons saw an opportunity and grabbed it. This 20-year-old entrepreneur from Southern California not only started her own luxury durag brand, but has opened her own shop on the iconic and ritzy Melrose Avenue, becoming the first-ever durag store on the block.
Lyons took a modern approach to celebrate her triumph, documenting the entire process of opening her first location on social media to display her hard work and dedication step-by-step until her dream came to fruition.
Who Is Atira Lyons?
Lyons is self-proclaimed “all-around designer” soon to launch her first apparel collection beyond her durags, with furniture soon to follow to level up her booming biz.
For those who indulge in viral content on the internet, you may recognize Lyons’ name and label from the several occasions her luxury durags have gone viral. Throughout the pandemic and amid the call to support Black-owned businesses, her label has flourished, allowing her (coupled with endless amounts of hard work) to become the first Black woman to open the first luxury durag store on Melrose.
Atira Lyons started her eponymous label as a digitally native brand, bringing luxury durags to the market, including the original velvet durag as her own design. Beyond being a business owner, Lyons designs her opulent silk and velvet durags on top of her other product offerings, including clothing and furniture. The 20-year-old designed and crafted the furniture for her Melrose Avenue location herself and has already had to turn down offers and sales to keep up with demand.
How Did Atira Lyons Label Come to Be?
The 20-year-old began documenting the opening of her store in March of 2020, announcing through social media that she’d be opening her history making store on the iconic shopping avenue in Los Angeles.
“I HAVE A STORE ON MELROSE AVE IN LOS ANGELES!!!!!!! My 20 year old a– got a f—ing store on MELROSE,” she tweeted on March 7 . “Grand opening in a month in a half. I can’t believe I did it. Unreal. Thank you EVERYONE for your support and business.”
Lyons shared videos of the construction and renovations, taking fans of her brand as well as digital onlookers into the hard work and processes that go into starting from scratch. The label founder is proud–rightfully so–of launching this business and storefront loan free and is determined to provide top quality everything for her customers: from customer service to ambiance, right down to the products themselves.
The 20-year-old is taking a transparent approach with the following she’s built on social media through her photo and video storytelling as well as sharing the nitty gritty details of her business. Atira Lyons Label makes their own boxes and durags and ensures her sewers are paid above minimum wage in California to provide top quality products while providing a living wage for her staff.
While the opening of the store was delayed to September 2020, Lyons has already been able to expand her business. Lyons got a new office and warehouse space to work on her current business and delve deeper into her fashion and furniture collections.
Big things are in store for Atira Lyons, we just have to wait and see!
Photo Credit: Atira Lyons Label
