Excellence award for trailblazing London entrepreneur
CBC
Angella Kyabaggu brought Black hair care products to London 24 years ago, and is now being celebrated for her hard work as an entrepreneur with a Black Excellence Award from W.E.A.N. Community Centre.
"At that time, there was no one serving the community with any products or care for black hair care," Kyabaggu said.
"Most of the time I would have to drive to other cities like Detroit, Toronto and other areas to get the product, and it was quite an inconvenience to go to these areas," she remembered. "I saw the need there to bring this to the London area."
Kyabaggu, who moved to the city from Grenada in the '80s, said that it made a huge difference to women in London when she opened K-Laba Hair and Beauty Supplies, helping them save time. They no longer need to drive hours to get hair care products, claiming that anything that they're looking for can be found in her shop.
She now has two stores in London as well as a Burlington location. She previously opened shops in Hamilton and Woodstock as well.
The business was initially aimed at the Black community with hair and skin care products but now serves all women, as Kyabaggu pointed out that some are undergoing chemotherapy or dealing with alopecia, a hair loss disorder.
This isn't Kyabaggu's only career -- she works in healthcare too, and her ability to juggle both is what landed her the Black Excellence Award, along with the longevity of her retail business.
However, maintaining two careers in the last 24 years has been no small feat.
"It hasn't been easy," she said. "I would definitely say that for sure, but I've been a hard working mother and nurse and entrepreneur. I find ways to balance it."
Kyabaggu offered some wisdom for others wanting to be an entrepreneur too:
"The advice that I would have is: go after your goal, believe in yourself and don't ever think that you can't do it because there is always challenges, but you can always make it if you work really hard because hard work does pay off."
Kyabaggu will receive the award at the Black Excellence Gala on Dec. 11 in London, presented by the W.E.A.N. Community Centre, which stands for "Where wE Are Now."
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.
A memorial to remember lives lost to gender-based violence was held in Charlottetown Friday, ahead of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is marked annually on Dec. 6.
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.