Abyssinia Salon and Beauty School, with clinic locations in Kent, Renton and Kenya, was recently named the Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year by King County.
The business won the award created to celebrate the people and enterprises that power the region’s growth, create jobs and reflect the diversity and creativity of King County.
King County Executive Shannon Braddock announced the winners at a celebration on Oct. 1. This year’s finalists were chosen from 107 applications across King County, with winners selected by a panel of local business leaders.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the heart of our neighborhoods, reflecting the rich diversity of our region,” Braddock said. “This year’s winners and finalists embody the spirit of entrepreneurship, equity, and sustainability that makes King County thrive.”
Abyssinia Salon and Beauty School offers students the chance to receive a cosmetology license from an accredited school in Renton. The school offers access to underserved communities and provides vocational training that can “serve as a powerful deterrent to chemical addiction by offering individuals a sense of purpose, skill development, and a pathway to stable employment,” according to their website.
Since opening a location over a decade ago in Renton, Miny Tafesse expanded, not only to a separate location in Kent, but also a nonprofit beauty school, allowing budding, underserved cosmetologists to reach their potential, according to a Renton Reporter article.
Twenty-four years after Tafesse, a highly trained trichologist (specializes in the study and treatment of hair and scalp conditions), opened her first Abyssinia Beauty Clinic in Nairobi, Kenya, the Abyssinia Beauty School opened its doors in 2024 in Renton.
Abyssinia Salon is at 218 First Ave. S., in Kent. It is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Renton location is at 203 S. Second St., with the same hours as the Kent clinic.
Project Feast honored
Project Feast, 202 W. Gowe St., in Kent, received third-place honors as a Workforce Development Small Business of the Year.
Project Feast empowers refugee and immigrant cooks through hands-on culinary training and education. The nonprofit offers culinary skills apprenticeship courses and culinary career workshops.
Started in 2012, the Executive’s Small Business Awards are hosted by the King County Office of Economic Opportunity and Creative Economy, with the support of community partners and sponsors.
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