Meet Myah of Roehouse Collective

Today we’d like to introduce you to Myah.

Hi Myah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Roehouse Collective began out of my own personal search for feminine touches for my locs. I was constantly frustrated by the lack of beautiful, high-quality hair accessories that could comfortably accommodate thick natural hair. That spark grew into a beautiful intersection of my design background, my appreciation for community, and my personal journey. The name itself is a deliberate play on words. It nods to the “row house,” a cozy home that inherently models community in its very construction, blended with the quiet confidence and elegance — words that others have graciously used to describe me — of a “roe deer.”

In interior design, success relies on a mix of functionality and beauty, and I approach Roehouse Collective accessories with that exact same philosophy. Just as a well-designed space serves a purpose while looking stunning, Roehouse pieces are created to be both highly functional and aesthetically beautiful. The signature scrunchies are meticulously handcrafted to be durable and stretchy enough to gently elevate a hairstyle. The versatile slim scarves are designed for endless functions: headband, bow, ponytail scarf, purse handle wrap, belt accessory, or hat accessory. I’ve also expanded into bag charms that act as a gorgeous addition to a handbag while doubling as a practical keychain.

In my full-time job at a local university, I contribute to college students’ development through service-focused programming. I get to extend that same commitment to community care through Roehouse Collective by being a friendly face and a visible reminder that representation matters in our local small business community. My ultimate goal is to continue fostering genuine, personalized connections locally while expanding our online presence to share our story and designs with communities far beyond Georgia.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I first started Roehouse Collective, I had just moved to Georgia from Mississippi, so a major initial challenge was simply learning the local landscape and figuring out where my community was located. The small business community in Canton and Woodstock has been so welcoming and encouraging from the very beginning. I am managing exposure at markets while being mindful of cash flow, all while balancing my time intentionally with a full-time career that I am deeply passionate about.

Narrowing down my marketing strategy as a first-time business owner led to some analysis paralysis. I minored in Marketing and love watching entrepreneurial content creators like Erin White (Erin on Demand) and Monica Razak (Monica’s Collective), so I was very familiar with this marketing concept: “If you are selling to everyone, you are selling to no one.” I initially planned to market exclusively to Black women with natural hair; however, at markets, Roehouse products receive heartwarming compliments and great support from customers spanning different races, ages, and backgrounds. Shoppers have given me new ideas as they describe how they plan to style their Roehouse scarves, in particular, which reminds me that Roehouse products can elevate a variety of looks and appeal to various groups of customers who value effortless elegance. I plan to honor my original inspiration while successfully scaling my marketing to welcome and align with data and customer feedback.

Alongside marketing, it has been challenging to make time to create engaging social media content that tells the story of Roehouse and shares my creative process, while simultaneously keeping up with the behind-the-scenes administrative work and, most importantly, sewing each piece. Balancing vision with the operational realities of a creative business has been a learning curve and constant battle with the aforementioned analysis paralysis. I’ve had to learn how to consciously stop getting stuck in over-strategizing mode and just go to the sewing machine to make the product or just make the Instagram post. I am motivated by the mantra “Just make it exist first” knowing that I can refine later. That mindset shift has been game-changing for my creativity and productivity.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
What sets Roehouse Collective apart is that every single piece is handcrafted by me in small batches, born out of a genuine need for a solution. In fact, I only learned how to sew a few months before officially launching the business, right when I realized I could actually create the high-quality hair accessories I was looking for but couldn’t find. Because I wear these products daily myself, the quality isn’t just a selling point; it’s a personal standard that I utilize and desire for my own life. When you look at big-box or department stores, they simply don’t offer the same level of fabric variety, rich texture, and fullness. Roehouse products stand out because of their distinct fluffiness and a curated selection of colors and patterns you won’t typically find on a retail shelf.

This is where my design background takes center stage. My favorite part of interior design was and still is concept design. I love having an initial thought or vision and intentionally creating individual pieces that come together to form a cohesive whole. Moving forward, I want to lean into this even more. Beyond just naming the products, I want their unique personas to come alive and be more visible to our audience. My creative process brings me so much joy. My absolute favorite part of making the scrunchies is threading the elastic and watching them gather; because they are so vibrant and fluffy, I often feel like I’m surrounded by flowers as they come together on my workspace. With the slim scarves, my favorite step is the final press, which is the exact moment their true, elegant form becomes visible.

Ultimately, the best part of this business is sharing these creations with shoppers at local markets and through social media. As I have increasingly become more comfortable with sewing the staple products, I desire to expand into other product categories, hence the “Collective” in our name. I also plan to utilize the library of content ideas I have saved to showcase the products even more. While creating social media content is incredibly fun, I haven’t been as consistent with it lately, but I am excited to bring those creative ideas to life as I map out what’s next for the brand.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Putting Roehouse Collective out there at physical markets and through digital outreach can always be a risk of my personal time, energy, and cash flow largely because I currently sew every adornment myself. My biggest financial and logistical risk so far was participating in a major natural hair show in Atlanta. The event required extensive preparation, the largest batch of inventory I had ever sewn, multiple vendor calls, and the most expensive vendor fee I had ever paid. I went in not knowing if it would yield comparable sales, and because small businesses were placed on a different floor from the massive, established brands, exposure wasn’t guaranteed. While there is always a baseline financial uncertainty with vendor fees and inventory prep, my experience at the hair show solidified my perspective on risk: even when you don’t hit a specific sales goal, the connections you make can outlast the event itself. I left with great conversations, new Instagram followers, future sales, and new relationships with small business owners that could turn into future collaborations.

Beyond markets, risk-taking for me also looks like preparing and sending cold emails and messages to local businesses in an effort to expand Roehouse’s reach. Of the dozens of emails I’ve sent to local hair salons, dance studios, boutiques, and sports teams about wholesale partnership opportunities, I haven’t received a response. Similarly, I took intentional time setting up a Faire Wholesale account (adding product descriptions, videos, and photos) to drive online wholesale interest a few months ago and have not received an order yet. I know that the right partnership and expansion opportunities will align when the time is right.

In addition to practicing gratitude, my husband is also a great inspiration to embrace and take calculated risks. Watching him navigate his own entrepreneurial endeavors in residential and concrete construction has taught me so much about resilience. He firmly believes in his vision and in God’s provision. He puts in the work to produce seamless projects, builds relationships with clients and business owners, and stays motivated even when a project doesn’t yield the profit he invested. He acts as a sounding board by helping me figure out table displays, vetting product photos, and listening to my ideas like buying a bright red vending machine to take to markets for fun discounts and freebies. His presence encourages me to fiercely believe in myself and the business.. Each time I sit down at my computer to update the website or at the sewing machine to create products, I know the risk is worth the investment.

Pricing:

• $5-7 Mini Scrunchies
• $8-10 Classic Scrunchies
• $13-15 XL Scrunchies
• $15-18 Slim Scarves
• $15-20 Bag Charms

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.roehousecollective.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roehouse.collective
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/roehousecollective