Charlotte’s Growing Group: Black Women Entrepreneurs
Local Black women entrepreneurs showcase heart and hustle at the 116th NAACP National Convention.
by Winston Robinson Jul 15, 2025
As Charlotte prepares to welcome the 116th NAACP National Convention, visitors from across the country will find more than policy discussions and powerful speeches. They’ll find The Hub, a vibrant, free-to-the-public vendor marketplace inside the Charlotte Convention Center.
Two Chicks Candles and Lip Print Beauty Bar are two standout vendors that fill rooms with good energy — not just because of what they sell, but because of what they carry. Both are Black woman-owned brands born from pandemic pivots, built with care, intention and the kind of invaluable, handcrafted love that makes every product’s price point a steal of a bargain. While their journeys are uniquely their own, both found a home in Charlotte — a city where Black women are among the leaders surging in a wave of entrepreneurial growth. Both the economic impact and the vibes are undeniable.
Lighting the Way: Two Chicks Candles
If you catch a whiff of something rich, soothing or playfully provocative as you walk through The Hub, it’s probably coming from Two Chicks Candles. Founded in 2020 by longtime friends Latoya Cargile and Cassandra Adams, the brand was born in a time of collective uncertainty, when many were searching for light — figuratively and literally.
Adams — a travel agent facing an industry in limbo — and Cargile — with more idle time than usual — started making candles as a form of therapy. Once friends and family started asking for more, it quickly turned into a business. Within four months, they were vending at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market.
Their hand-poured, coconut-soy wax candles — free of toxins, parabens and paraffins — have since caught the attention of national brands like American Express and Marriott, while earning a feature on Tabitha Brown’s “Very Good Mondays.”
The Two Chicks brand is more than products — it’s connection. Candle names like “Gray Sweatpants” and “Somebody’s Son” are culturally in tune and hilarious. “Gray Sweatpants,” Adams explains, smells like “a really nice man.” “Somebody’s Son” smells richer, more robust like “a younger really nice man,” adds Cargile.
And while the laughter flows, their commitment to clean, locally sourced ingredients is undoubtedly serious. “We pour every candle by hand, with intention,” says Cargile. “Each one is made to comfort, heal and affirm.”
Cargile and Adams are bringing that same warmth into The Hub, alongside their wax melts, room sprays and subscription offerings, to create a sensory moment that invites visitors to pause, breathe deeply and take a little piece of comfort back home.
Made to Shine: The Lip Print Experience
Lip Print Beauty Bar offers a custom lip product experience that’s as playful as it is empowering. Founded by Charlotte sisters Nickell Parks and Latrice Reynolds, along with friend Renee McGregor, Lip Print invites guests to create their own lipstick or lip gloss and add scents, glitters, flavors, even lip plumper.
“More than purchasing lipstick and lip gloss, it is an experience,” Reynolds says. “The greatest thing you can add is your personality.”
Launching a lipstick business during the peak mask-mandate era might seem counterintuitive, but the sisters leaned in. They began with pop-up events and a mobile lipstick bar in 2021 and, within a year, opened their first storefront in downtown Raleigh.
By April 2024, their journey came full circle. They opened a second location in their hometown of Charlotte, inside Queen City Quarter (formerly the Epicentre) which is a five-minute walk from the Convention Center.
“One of our foremost goals is to leave a legacy for our children’s children. That’s why we mentor, share our journey, and encourage others,” Parks says. “You just have to walk by faith,” chimes in Reynolds, with the kind of perfectly timed sibling interjection only sisters can pull off.
Their mustard seeds continue to work. In August 2025, Lip Print Beauty Bar will open its third location in Atlanta. For now, convention guests can visit them right at The Hub for the Lip Print experience or take a quick walk to their Uptown Charlotte storefront for the full glam treatment.
Black Women Entrepreneurs Taking Off in Charlotte
What connects these two brands, beyond their creativity and craft, is a shared sense that Charlotte offers the kind of space where ideas can take root and grow. In a city often recognized for banking, it’s refreshing to witness the versatility coming from the steady rise of Black women-led businesses, adding depth and texture to the entrepreneurial landscape.
Whether hand pouring a candle or customizing the perfect lip gloss, their presence at The Hub reflects what’s possible when community, culture and care intersect in the right environment.
More to Explore at The Hub
Two more Charlotte-based, Black woman-owned brands are contributing star power to The Hub’s vendor lineup:
Pink Daisy Company, created by Sutrina Benge, offers home, bath and body products inspired by the sacred pause — those brief moments of rest and reflection. Born from her own search for balance, the brand encourages everyday self-care with intention.
WRLD CTZNS is a globally inspired fashion brand celebrating culture, connection and conscious living. Founded by a biracial Charlotte creative, the collection blends style and social responsibility, which is perfect for those who wear their values as boldly as their outfits.
