Spartanburg, S.C. – A one-stop shop for hair and beauty needs, complete with in-store stylists, is opening in Spartanburg after the owner received a $5,000 microloan through USC Upstate’s Start:ME Spartanburg program. Start:ME is an entrepreneurship accelerator program that provides participants with 14 weeks of business training, allowing participants to develop a business plan, build relationships with individuals who will support their business, and present their business to lenders.

Rejeaner Burney, a Spartanburg native and licensed cosmetologist with more than 25 years of experience, was selected by her peers to receive the microloan from Start:ME Spartanburg upon her graduation from the program. Burney is opening Fly Girlz & Guyz Beauty & More, which also provides weaves, extensions, makeup art, and more.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony, held in partnership with Start:ME Spartanburg, will be held on Tuesday,  Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m. to celebrate the grand opening of the newly renovated retail space at 134 Garner Road, Suite D. This is the first retail location for Fly Girlz & Guyz Beauty & More.

Start:ME Spartanburg works in partnership with the University of South Carolina Upstate’s George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics and the Northside Development Group to nurture promising local entrepreneurs and assist them in establishing successful small businesses within the community.

“Start:ME Spartanburg was created to support aspiring entrepreneurs to start or grow their businesses with a focus on three core components – knowledge in the form of access to education through business training, networks through resources and advice of mentors, and capital through peer-selected microloans,” said Dr. Elise Harvey, associate professor of marketing in the USC Upstate Johnson College of Business and Economics.

For more information, please contact Dr. Elise Harvey, associate professor of marketing in the USC Upstate Johnson College of Business and Economics, at 864-503-5236.

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