We had the good fortune of connecting with Bridget Harris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bridget, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I came up with the idea for Aurum79 Beauty in 2018 as I was planning a trip to Colombia for my birthday. I realized I was in need of sunscreen and was hoping to find one that I could apply to my face and that would not create a white film on my skin. I Google searched until I finally came across a product called Unsun. Eureka! I went to every traditional retailer and could not get my hands on any. Unfortunately, none of these retailers carried the product.

From that experience I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that I was in search of a product for my specific needs that actually existed, and it was practically inaccessible. I started asking girlfriends if they’d heard of this product – they had not. Then I started searching for other products that were created specifically for women of color and found tons of them; many of which were products and brands that I’d never heard of until this very intentional search effort.

I outlined all of the “new” products I’d discovered and decided to conduct a small survey with about 75 friends and friends of friends (inclusive of African American, Latino, Afro-Latino, African, multi-racial and a few Caucasian women) across Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami and New Orleans. I shared the variety of hair, skin and cosmetic products created for and/or by women of color. The majority of the women that I reached out to were unfamiliar with the majority of the products – even though they reflected the primary targeted consumers base.

Additionally, most of the products that I “discovered” during my search were non-toxic, clean and Black-owned.

I concluded that there was a clear need for a resource to connect this audience to these products, and with that I created Aurum79 Beauty – an online marketplace that provides access to clean, non-toxic beauty and wellness products that you won’t find in traditional retailers.

PS – Unsun, the brand that started this search, is now one of our vendor partners and accessible on our website, Aurum79Beauty.com.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I spent the majority of my career in multicultural advertising and marketing. I don’t know many people who got to live their childhood dream. I remember in the 8th grade telling my dad that I wanted to make commercials and billboards for a living. And that’s what my career entailed (along with a lot more traditional and non-traditional advertising). And I got to do this for amazing brands including, Bacardi, Coca-Cola, MillerCoors and PepsiCo to name a few. I wouldn’t say the job was easy, but I was blessed to often be surrounded by like-minded people who I could relate to, who were smart and worked hard; the work was interesting and fun! And the pay was good. What more can you ask for?

Most of the challenges I ran into were because I was working in male-dominated spaces and sometimes I lost my voice. It was also sometimes frustrating dealing with Clients who saw you as less since you were doing the multicultural work vs “general market” (which is another term for “white” in advertising). But I think this was overcome, by the fact that we were good at what we did…and there was no denying that. As for sometimes losing my voice, well that’s just a conscious effort that I have to take to stay heard. Now that I’m an entrepreneur, sometimes is shows up as impostor syndrome, but I’ve learned that for all of the rooms I enter and tables I sit at, I deserve to be there. I add value. And I’m good at what I do. And sometimes you have to remind yourself of that.

What I want the world to know about me and my brand and story is that it’s littered with mistakes and imperfection…but also with perseverance, thought and effort. I trust myself. Trusting yourself is half the battle.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love a good brunch and a good cocktail…so that’s the start and end of everyday with my bestie in town. LOL

We’d sleep in, then brunch (some of my favorite brunch spots are Batter & Berries, Summerhouse, Maple & Ash and M. Henry).

After brunch we chill. Maybe find a rooftop (Godfrey, London House) for a couple more cocktails if it’s warm.

Then we chill out until evening and grab dinner with friends.

There would definitely be a spa day or two in the mix. And a boat/beach day if it’s summertime Chi.

Otherwise we’re pretty chill at this phase of life, so relaxing with cocktails and laughing is the main part of the agenda.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family and friends have been extremely helpful in my entrepreneurial journey. They were our first customers and have been continued advocates of the brands. My co-founders/business partners who helped get this off of the ground. And my wonderful husband and parents who have made this journey possible. I’ve also learned from every job that I’ve had and met really awesome people along they way that continue to support me in this phase of my career. My tribe is really quite dope! 🙂

Website: Aurum79Beauty.com

Instagram: @aurum79.beauty

Image Credits
Pic 1 – Photographer Jerome Lynch Photography