Tiffani Bailey Lash, PhD and Tashni-Ann Dubroy, PhD are entrepreneurs whose journey in friendship has seen them through a shared love of chemistry, healthcare, beauty, education, travel and ownership. As the founders of vacation rental startup Tilair Capital, their goal is to attract travelers to Atlantic Beach, a hidden oceanfront gem in South Carolina, affectionately known as “The Black Pearl,” and elevate its history. Atlantic Beach is America’s only historically Black owned beach to have remained in the hands of African Americans since its founding in the 30s. It’s nestled in a Myrtle Beach, SC enclave, and Bailey and Dubroy are playing a part in boosting the area’s economy, while also preserving its heritage as an African American landmark.
They grew up in different parts of the world — Bailey in North Carolina, where she made sure to tell everyone who would listen that she wanted to launch her own hair care line one day, and Dubroy grew up in Jamaica, where she tapped into her entrepreneurial side by selling water bottles at games, and also pom poms. The latter’s mother was a hairstylist, which also sparked an interest in cosmetology and beauty.
The duo met in college at North Carolina State University, where they were pursuing advanced degrees in chemistry, and became fast friends and accountability partners. After graduation, Bailey pursued the healthcare industry, and is currently a senior health and science administrator at the NIH, while Dubroy pursued education, becoming president at Shaw University, and eventually landing at Howard University as EVP/COO. In the midst of their respective grinds, they found time to launch a hair care line called Tea and Honey Blends, and it took off.
“We were featured in Businessweek, Money Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Fun and Fearless Females, and hair salons in North Carolina,” Bailey tells AURN. “Our goal was to build the business and to sell it, and so we sold it to a private label manufacturer.”
With one business goal achieved, Bailey and Dubroy hatched another master plan that would allow them to make extra income and cement a new legacy for themselves and family. Real estate development made the most sense. Bailey, who had been visiting Myrtle Beach for years, growing up, learned about Atlantic Beach from a neighbor, and the rest is history.
“It’s a town within North Myrtle Beach, but the beauty is this town is incorporated by a charter of predominantly Black people in that area,” explains Bailey. “We have our own mayor. We have our own police officers. Anything that is a corporate government structure, we have that and so that’s a beautiful thing about it [and] we have an ocean front property.”
Their property, Serenity, is a seven bedroom home with an ocean view, surrounded by sandy beaches, palm trees and friendly neighbors. Serenity is one of Tilair Capital’s first endeavors in the area, but they are hoping to attract residential and commercial developers who can help enhance and preserve the legacy of this mirco-paradise.
“History is really what ties me to the land. When you walk into certain spaces, I think you get an appreciation for what our ancestors did, what they survived, and just how much of an honor it is to be developing some of the land that at times they didn’t have access to,” says Dubroy. “And for it to be a natural beachfront property, where developers nowadays are seeking, and you’re not going to get much more beachfront unless you can drag sand and try to create something because a natural beachfront property is very difficult to come by, and so, just to know that I get to be part of that preservation, there’s no better feeling than that.”
The post From Chemistry to Real Estate: How Tiffani Bailey Lash and Tashni-Ann Dubroy are Preserving the Black History of Atlantic Beach appeared first on American Urban Radio Networks.
