Photo courtesy of Ja’miyah Johnson

Ja’miyah Johnson’s passion for hair started when she was a young girl. Over the years, Johnson has increased her skills and, with her hair-braiding business called “Miyahs Miracles,” now showcases her talent through a wide range of services.

“It’s more of like (a) side business right now, but I do want to grow in it,” Johnson said. “I started doing my own hair, and then I started doing my best friend’s hair in middle school so I kind of grew from that.”

Johnson offers hair services such as locs, sew-ins, braids and “pretty much everything.”

In addition to her repertoire of hairstyles, Johnson also strives to provide affordable services to her primarily student-based population, and maintains client relationships “by offering holiday discounts.”

“If I know that one of my regular’s birthdays or occasions is coming up, I might give them a discount,” she said.

Johnson’s practice is not located on campus, but she does enhance her business’s visibility through promotion on campus. Students can find her flyers, which contain all of her social media handles and display offered hairstyles, on campus bulletin boards in places like the Rhatigan Student Center.

Johnson finds that, with advertisements on campus, her clientele tends to be younger.

Johnson’s young age distinguishes her from other hair professionals.

Desmond Cockrell, a former client of Johnson, describes his experience as pleasant. Cockrell received freestyle cornrows, one of the many styles that Miyahs Miracles offers.

“She did really good,” Cockrell said. “Many people really liked the style.”

When reaching out about being a possible client, Cockrell received displayed offers of hairstyles from Johnson.

“She sent me a screenshot of some hairstyle pictures she had posted, on the walls of The Suites and The Flats,” he said.

Johnson describes her price as affordable for students. Cockrell said her prices, which can be found on her promotional flyers around campus, are “fair.”

Ever since being referred to Miyahs Miracles, Crockwell has returned to Johnson three times before moving away from the Wichita area.

“Moral of the story, book with Miyahs Miracles,” Cockrell said. “Shout out Miyahs Miracles, she’s gon’ get you right.”

When Johnson is not braiding hair or attending class for Medical Engineering, she works part-time as a server. Despite her busy schedule, she is still able to find a balance between work and school.

“With my (serving) job, I let them know that I want a set schedule,” she said. “(This way,) I know what days I’m working in order to make time for clients.”

While Johnson is a second-year student, she has big ideas for the future of her practice. She plans on getting a mobile van to travel from state to state and even aspires to own a multi-store business.

“I want to own my own hair business and my own building,” Johnson said. “My sister does nails so with her; you could come get your hair and your nails done.”

Johnson advises those interested to be on the lookout for business cards; there might just be a deal on them.