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ALTADENA, Calif. () — Small business owners are still struggling with the devastation caused by the Eaton and Palisades fires. Many of them are considered micro businesses with nine or fewer employees.
In Altadena, that struggle is playing out through the experience of Truvonna Tamiel Cole, whose home and hair braiding business were destroyed in the Eaton Fire. Cole is now meeting clients more than 30 miles from where she once worked, adjusting to a new reality after relocating with her husband to the Inland Empire.
The Eaton Fire destroyed the home where Cole operated her hair braiding business. After relocating, she said business has been slow, even as expenses continue to mount.
Cole and her husband are paying a mortgage on a house that no longer exists, rent for their current home, and rent for a salon space in Upland for her business, Braids by Tru.
“In the beginning, I was basically just braiding hair to cover the cost of the salon suite and not even profiting to go towards my mortgage,” Cole said.
A UCLA report found that most private businesses in Altadena and the Palisades were inside the perimeter of the January fires one year ago. And, most of those businesses were micro businesses like Cole’s.
Rev. Nikia Smith Robert, Ph.D, is a longtime client of Cole’s and has been bringing her daughter to her for hair braiding every few months. She said Cole’s experience reflects a broader problem.
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“Tenile is just one story, but there isn’t a single narrative; there are others who are being left behind in recovery efforts,” Smith Robert said.
Smith Robert attributed part of the difficulty to displacement far from home, and said additional support is needed.
“Some of the ways in which we could help mothers like Tenile is to connect her to resources, to connect her to information,” she said. “Mental health services, as well as advocacy, such as lawyers.”
Cole said insurance on her home does not cover the estimated more than estimated $1 million needed to rebuild, and she is hesitant to take out loans.
“They want you to apply for all these loans. But it’s like, we didn’t cause this,” Cole said. “Why would I sign with a contractor knowing that I don’t have that gap to pay for it?”
Instead, Cole said fire survivors need relief from mortgage payments and access to grants.
“Not having to pay the mortgage, until, at least until the rebuild, it just makes sense,” she said.
Cole has received support through Abolitionist Sanctuary, the nonprofit founded by Smith Robert, which has helped provide mortgage assistance.
“We were able to pull resources together in order to provide mortgage assistance for Black mothers,” Smith Robert said.
The home Cole lost was inherited from her mother, Mrs. Marie Plaid-Oliver, and held deep personal meaning.
“My mom saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Being the youngest, my siblings are college-educated. Doing hair is often looked down on, as just like a side hustle. It’s not looked at as a career or a business,” Cole said.
For Cole, the space was more than a home or business. It was a gathering place where she pursued her passion for braiding hair, taking pride in working on someone’s crown, and preserving African American culture.
“I just feel like the strength, and it just possesses so much positivity that we can get through many things with what we have,” she said.
Clients such as Danielle Carr say they remain committed to supporting Cole as she rebuilds.
“It was very important to just support her and to be there for her. She’s given me so much, I want to give it back,” Carr said.
As Cole continues moving forward, she starts her mornings with the gospel and daily affirmations.
“Keep supporting your dreams by showing up despite the occasional doubt,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Cole said she is doing exactly that — showing up.
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