Business expands with supply store addition to nearby salon
For Keisha Wade, success on York Road is more than a business achievement. It is a full-circle moment.
After graduating from the Baltimore Studio of Hair Design, Wade took her first stylist job at a salon at 4606 York Road. Today, that same address is home to Keep It Cute Creations, her thriving full-service salon. Just two doors down sits her second business, Keep It Cute Beauty Supply, together forming a growing beauty brand rooted in experience and community love.
After several years in the industry, Wade expanded her role beyond the salon chair, teaching and mentoring newly trained stylists. As she built her clientele, she also became known as someone who could help others find their footing.
“I had been teaching for a while, and some of the students wanted to follow me,” she says. Her vision was to support stylists who had completed their training but needed a professional environment to gain confidence and experience.
That vision took shape when she discovered that her very first salon location was available for purchase. “To come back around and have the opportunity to actually be the owner of the salon was just… it took me back,” Wade says. “That was an inspiration, and then one thing led to another.”
What followed was momentum. Building on the success of the salon, Wade opened Keep It Cute Beauty Supply Store, an expansion that allowed her to serve a broader range of customers. “The hair salon has done really well on York Road, and so we decided to branch out,” she explains. The Beauty Supply Store will celebrate its third anniversary in August and has become a trusted destination for professional-grade products and accessories personalized for the community.
While Wade’s experience in the salon industry gave her a strong foundation, she is quick to note that retail has required a different skill set. “I thought the beauty supply store was going to be a piece of cake,” she says. “But it’s a whole different world.”
Consistency, however, has been key. Wade attributes her ability to manage both businesses to her earlier corporate career, including time spent working at a major bank. “That was a plus for me,” she says. “You need to understand money management. You need to understand how your day-to-day goes, the slow periods and the busy periods, and how to stabilize it.”
A major source of strength behind the scenes is her husband, Robert LaPrade, a retired master plumber. “He is dedicated to building the brand,” Wade says. “He makes sure the brand is communicated to the community in a positive way.”
From the start, Wade has been intentional about visibility and connection. “When we first started, we did flyers. We did balloons. We did everything to make people notice,” she recalls. Today, her approach blends digital tools, direct outreach, and the most powerful marketing of all: word of mouth.
“Our goal has been to give a community presence with a level of excellence,” Wade says. “Our customer service ratings are great when it comes to entertaining the community, giving back, and educating people on the products they purchase.”
Keep It Cute proudly identifies as a multicultural, full-service salon. “We are a full-service salon. We can go from servicing women to gentleman’s haircut to nails and pedicures,” Wade says. Her clients range from teenagers to customers in their 80s, all drawn by a consistent experience and welcoming atmosphere.
The 4600 block of York Road has seen cycles of change, and Wade believes the area is entering a new chapter. “We’re giving the area a better image,” she says. Both the salon and beauty supply store project an aura of glamour and possibility. “The environment matters a lot to me. My thought process is always to ‘wow’ the client.”
York Road’s mix of higher- and lower-income communities is something Wade embraces. “We’re trying to blend both of those communities,” she says. With services and products offered at a range of price points, Keep It Cute creates what she describes as “a middle safe space where both want to meet.”
Running two businesses keeps Wade constantly moving. It has its challenges she admits, but her focus remains optimistic and forward-looking.