Who is Ja’Lisa?

Hi, my name is Ja’Lisa Calaway. I’m a 31-year-old entrepreneur with 9 years of experience in business and a proud 3x business owner. I hold a degree from the University of Minnesota and am currently pursuing my second degree to become a Registered Nurse. In addition to my academic pursuits, I also hold three licenses with the Board of Cosmetology.

From a young age, I was always in the mirror doing my hair—my appearance has always been important to me. Growing up with five sisters, there was always someone who needed their hair done, and I quickly became the go-to sister for braids, styles, and touch-ups. By the time I reached high school, I began to understand the importance and benefits of protective styles like braids and weaves.

In college, like many others, I became a broke college student trying to maintain a polished look. I found myself spending a lot of money searching for quality hair extensions, which sparked my journey to create my own solution. In May 2016, during my senior year of college, I launched Ja’Lisa’s Gorgeous Extensions. At first, I didn’t take it too seriously, but the demand quickly grew. For the first six months, I delivered orders after school—but once winter arrived, I knew I had to make a choice: find a storefront or pursue a job in social work.

I chose to bet on myself.

In May 2017—exactly one year later—I graduated college and opened my first store, all in the same week. Now, 9 years later, my business is still going strong. Ja’Lisa’s Gorgeous Extensions proudly offers top-quality virgin and raw hair (including Raw Indian, Burmese, and Vietnamese), along with custom wigs, hot tools, lash extension services, press-on nails, and more. My full-service salon also provides hair extension installs, braids, facials, nails, brows, and lash services.

What began as a personal need has evolved into a thriving brand and full-service beauty destination—and I couldn’t be more proud of how far it’s come.