We're Open: Paris Beauty Supplyz

A 16-year-old Brooklyn girl went viral after receiving thousands of replies to her tweet announcing she opened a new beauty supply store.

Paris McKenzie is not your average teenager.
At the age of 16, she recently opened her very own beauty supply store in East Flatbush, becoming an entrepreneur all while juggling her schoolwork.
"I go to two different schools right now. I'm in high school and I take college classes, so it's a lot but I've been handling it well so far,” says McKenzie.
Paris Beauty Supplyz has been in the neighborhood for about a month, selling everything from braiding hair, to extensions, to hair care products.
McKenzie says she opened her store hoping to inspire other young girls, and send a message that the sky is the limit, no matter your age.
"I've always had dreams to do things from a young age and everyone always either laughed at me or I would work in my mom’s stores and people would say ‘oh she works here, oh who left you alone,’ and it's always somebody trying to put you down. And I know the way it made me feel and I wouldn't want other young girls to feel that way,” says McKenzie.
She says she learned the ropes of running a business from her mother who is also an entrepreneur.
After finalizing her lease, she says she had to work on making renovations, and implementing safety measures to keep everyone safe.
"I don't allow anyone to come into the store without a mask. I also try to sanitize my products before I stock them on the shelves,” says McKenzie.
The young entrepreneur says that the announcement of her store opening on Twitter went viral, gaining tens of thousands of likes and retweets.

After getting so much support and words of encouragement from the community, she says she's hoping to open more beauty supply stores in the future.
"The messages I've been getting and the support I've been getting, it makes me feel amazing. It makes me want to do more,” says McKenzie.