As soon as Donna Lowe relocated to Lake in the Hills from Florida, she saw a need in the community and began dreaming about how to fill it.
“I’ve always knew I would own a business,” Lowe says. “When we relocated here, I saw the need for someone to service curly textured/ethnic hair. That’s a basic service, and for us not to have that service within the community—well, that was a problem for me.” Time marched on: she worked in Social Services, and then took a position as a District Manager with a supermarket company. But all the while she hung onto her dream. And when she was ready to move forward, the first place she went to was her library.
“I believe in doing my homework,” Lowe says. “I don’t just jump into things, I’m a planner, I’m an organizer, and if I was going make such a major decision and do this, I was going to be prepared.”
Lowe came to the Algonquin Area Public Library because she wanted information to position her business for success. She needed community demographics to establish her target audience, socio-economic statistics to set her price points, information about her competitors, direction and resources for developing her business plan, as well as connections with resources to direct her journey as an entrepreneur.
“Librarians are knowledgeable,” Lowe says. “Where else can you access all this information in a central place and receive assistance putting it all together?” She connected with Adult Services Librarian Virginia Donahue, who introduced Lowe to several library-owned digital resources accessible to library cardholders, such as the Small Business Reference Center, the Legal Information Reference Center, Record Information Services, and Reference USA.
“Virginia was a godsend,” Lowe says. “I was able to tell her ‘this is what I need’ and she was able to tell me ‘here is where you start’.”
“Donna was always so friendly, professional, and earnest in her research requests – it’s always such a pleasure to help her,” Donahue says. “I just knew ultimately she would open her business!”
In March 2018, Lowe celebrated the two-year anniversary of Donna Lowe Salon. Located at 252 South Randall Road in Algonquin, the multicultural salon offers services for all hair textures but specializes in curly, textured hair. But for Lowe, her greatest achievement is creating a community connection.
“I always say that the salon is a vehicle for bringing the community together,” Lowe says. “People can come to a hair salon, socialize with each other, and build relationships. I also see the salon as a resource for building self-esteem among children of color and children with curly textured hair—a place where they can embrace their curls, and be comfortable with their beauty.” In fact, Lowe mentors several of her young clients and provides workshops in hair care and styling for adoptive parents parenting children outside their race.
Outside of the salon, Lowe continues her commitment to the community, sitting on the board of directors for Kids in Need of McHenry County. The salon served as a collection site for a Back-to- School drive prior to the 2018 school year. “The library assisted me, and now I’m in a position to give back to the community,” she says.
Even though her business is now established, Lowe often returns to the library. Like many solo entrepreneurs, sometimes she needs to focus on research or writing reports, and she uses the library’s computers or study room to do that. “I’m always looking for ways to enhance my professional development as well as my personal development,” she says. “I can do all that at the library.”