20/02/2024
Introducing our Black History in Beauty series, where we will highlight the pioneers who came before us.
Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone was born on August 9, 1877, to Robert and Isabella Turnbo in Metropolis, Illinois. She was the tenth of eleven children. Annie's future was destined as she was orphaned as an adolescent and had to move to Peoria to live with her older sister. While living with her sister and attending high school, Annie had a great interest in Chemistry, but she had to leave school because she frequently became ill. She was so fascinated by hair care that she would practice on her sister and began to develop hair care products using ingredients such as bacon grease, heavy oils, and soap to straighten the hair.
During the early 1900's she moved to Brooklyn, Illinois with her siblings. While still experimenting with ingredients, she developed her first product and named it "Wonderful Hair Grower". Annie sold her products door-to-door. She may not have realized, but Annie was revolutionizing the sales of hair products catered to women of color.
In 1902. Annie moved to St. Louis and opened her first shop. She held news conferences, toured southern states, launched a huge campaign in black media outlets, and recruited and trained women to sell her products, including the legend Madame CJ Walker whose name was Sarah Breedlove at the time and who would later copy her formula and become her greatest competition. Annie copyrighted the name "Poro" in an attempt to stop fraudulent imitations of her product.
Annie was not discouraged by the competition, and she continued to prosper and sell her products. As her company grew, she moved to a bigger facility in 1910 and opened Poro College, a cosmetology school and center, in 1918. This was an enormous facility that included a manufacturing company, a gymnasium, a dormitory, a rooftop garden, a 500-seat auditorium, and a dining and meeting room. Poro College's curriculum centered on the student as a whole, with courses in personal style. The facility provided over 75,000 jobs for women in North and South America, as well as in the Philippines.
Annie's business thrived until 1927, when she divorced her husband who was serving as the president of Poro College, and demanded half of the business value. Annie received help from her employees and also the great Mary Mcleod Bethune and negotiated a settlement of $200,000, which affirmed her as the sole owner of Poro College. After the divorce, Annie moved her business to Chicago's South Parkway (now Martin Luther King Dr.) where she bought a whole city block! This woman was amazing and nothing stopped her!
In 1937, Annie was sued by an employee who demanded credit for her success. Annie decided to settle with the employee and sold her St. Louis property to pay out the settlement. Although her company reduced in size, her business still thrived and would go on to be a part of black history.
Let's hear it for Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone, the first black female millionaire.