When sisters Ameela and Armani Covington were growing up, they had one thing in common – a love for all things beauty. They dreamed of one day owning a beauty supply store that catered to African Americans, but after graduating from college, they didn’t have the capital. But a small business microloan from Michigan Women Forward helped them open The Gallery Beauty Supply in January 2023. “It’s been such a blessing. The community has really embraced us,” Armani says. “I don’t know that we could have done it without Michigan Women Forward.”