An El Dorado native whose philopshy is to act with pure intentions plans to move forward with the hair business.

"I'm originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and I moved to El Dorado when I was 11 years old," said Markesha Brown, CEO of 'Pure Luxury Box'. "When I first moved to El Dorado, I lived in the Norphlet area, and that was the first school I attended there. I had a pretty good childhood; my mom was a young woman who had kids at a young age. While raising us, she was trying to figure out life. Unfortunately, we went through trials and tribulations, but God is so good that my mom ended up getting help from her younger brother, Lamont Moore."

She said, "He married the principal at Yocum Elementary, and his wife invited her to come down and get herself together. By the time I was 13, my mom started to figure out the necessities of life, got everything together, and we were able to move to the El Dorado area. I went to Barton, then to El Dorado High School, and graduated with my associate's degree from South Ark College. Now I'm at Southern Arkansas University."

Brown mentioned what inspired her to get in the business of hair.

"Up until I was in the 12th grade I never wore hair extensions, I always wore braids" she said. "When I was in the 12th grade, I received my first wig install, and I became obsessed with hair. So, with that obsession I could literally pinpoint if it was good hair or not."

Brown explained back in 2013-2014 she would drive from El Dorado to Little Rock, and buy hair from Kendra, the owner 'Kendra Boutique'.

"She kind of inspired me because she's a young Black entrepreneur with style, and it encouraged me to think that one day I could sell hair," she said. "So when I moved to Dallas, Texas, in 2015, I would always find hair for my friends' birthdays. If they needed good hair, I would go on social media networks to find something. I would also add an extra $20 or $30 just for my research."

Brown said, "When I moved back to El Dorado I've always kept the girls from Dallas in my mind because so many of them were millionaires, driving Bentleys, Maybachs, and Benz. So, it inspired me, because I can take my passion and put it in to a hair business."

Moving forward she mentioned that in 2019 she created vision boards and came to the conclusion that she can do more than just a 9 to 5 job.

"I knew I had something in me that I could put into something, but I just didn't know what it was," Brown explained. "I started doing research on hair companies, looking at certain websites, watching YouTube videos on how to start a business, and going step by step on what I needed to do."

She said, "I ended up meeting a guy and expressed to him that I wanted to start a hair business. Once we parted ways, he shared my ideas with someone else and invested in her hair business. I'm not going to lie; that's what pushed me. But I'm a firm believer that what God has for you is for you. So, you can take my ideas, but no one will be able to do it like me."

Brown mentioned that she reconnected with an old friend who discussed entrepreneurship with her, and this friend introduced her to The Arkansas Rehabilitation Center.

"I presented my plans to them, and since I don't have 20/20 vision, I qualified for their assistance in starting a small business," she said. "When I say God sent me an angel, he truly provided the help I needed. Everything I did with them was legitimate, and they taught me things no one else could when it comes to starting a business. It was like a class; I had to come up with certain materials before deadlines and really put in the work."

Brown said, "There are so many things I've paid for out of pocket and invested my money in, so receiving the grant from them was a blessing because they helped me tremendously. So, I knew then when God opened up that door from me, that's where he wanted me to receive my help from. So, that's how I was able to get started and keep my business afloat."

Brown spoke on the brand Pure Luxury Box.

"We are a company where we have pure intentions, we don't have strings attached and we have luxury items," she said. "My audience is women who want a luxury product at an affordable price. You want to look good, you have some people that are going through a struggle but you can have enough money to put together to receive a luxury product."

"The hair has to be longevity hair," Brown said. "It must be silky, true to length from top to bottom,and I need to ensure that my clientele can afford it. We also perform a burn test on the hair; it should burn in the same way as natural hair."

Brown expressed the challenges she faced while in this business.

"I feel like a lot of things and sales goes off popularity in our community," she said. "I'm not really popular, I'm the type of person that 'business is business and personal is personal.' I'm not big on popularity, I have a good quality product but because of people who are well known there are some situations that I can get counted out on."

Brown explained why she picked the name Pure Luxury Box and explained the company's future plans.

"It took me a long time to come up with the name," she said. "I went through literally 50 to 60 names before I settled on this one. With 'Pure,' I want to convey my pure heart and intentions; everything I do is always pure. As for 'luxury,' I love luxury items, and I want the pricing to make sense for my clientele. Lastly, with 'box,' I always think outside the box. Nobody really sells hair in boxes; it typically comes in satin bags, but I wanted to stand out."

Brown said, "My future goal is to open a location called Pure Luxury Box Studio, where I want to hire only felons. I believe in giving anyone a second chance; people can change, and I want to create a space for that while giving back to my community. Felons are often counted out; someone can commit a crime 10 years ago, and people still hold it against them. I want to teach people they can be their own boss, so we'll have estheticians, barbers, and support for men too. We can have multiple people doing different things, like nails and boutiques, but that's my vision for the future."

She said, "I love what I do and the hair is the crown that a lady never takes off."