Olive Branch Wellness Boutique celebrates six years in Decatur

A 2024 article published by nonprofit Green Beauty Community defines “clean beauty” as products that are “mindfully created and produced without any proven or suspected toxic ingredients,” keeping the health of the body and the environment in mind.

So, unlike the numerous beauty supply stores that typically pop up in Black neighborhoods across Atlanta, Ty’s concept aimed to steer clear of selling products with toxic ingredients you can barely pronounce. Instead, she’s offering plant-based skin and hair care alternatives, while also educating her customers.

Credit: Bita Honarvar

Credit: Bita Honarvar

“I wanted to show my knowledge of clean beauty, cosmetology, and extend that to the community here,” said Ty, explaining the double meaning behind the name of the store. Each product contains olive oil, which is known for its numerous skin health benefits. “I felt like there wasn’t anything like that here, so I wanted to inform people on what these products are and what the ingredients mean.”

The journey to opening the brick-and-mortar began with the couple creating their own homemade soaps after hearing friends and family complain about their skin breaking out from using products they bought at major beauty product retailers. It also came from seeking relief for Aaron’s eczema.

While they admit their initial batches were “trash” because they would crumble upon first use, they eventually figured out a formula that worked, leading to their first official offering, a fragrance-free bar called “Sweet Honey Oats” made of oatmeal, honey and other vegan additions like aloe vera and coconut oil.

Credit: Bita Honarvar

Credit: Bita Honarvar

The positive feedback gave them confidence to pivot from giving soaps away for free to selling them at local farmers markets and eventually online. After consistently selling out, Ty had the bold idea of opening a store despite not having any retail experience.

“We still only had one thing we were selling,” remembered Aaron, who was skeptical, but wanted to be supportive. “So, we’re going to open a store front with one soap?”

Driving around downtown Decatur to pick up their daughter from dance class, Ty found and secured a vacancy at 123 E Ponce De Leon, the former home of children’s hairdresser, Salon Red Kids. The asking price for the keys to the door was $20,000. But this initial investment quickly ballooned past $50,000 as they paid out-of-pocket for construction and took on the challenge of actually filling up the 1,700 square foot space with small oatmeal soap bars and pocket-size products from other vendors.

Credit: Bita Honarvar

Credit: Bita Honarvar

“Our savings were being depleted,” said Ty. “We had to figure out a more cost-effective way to fill this store up.”

Confident in the one great oatmeal soap they were selling, Aaron estimated they could create 30 more soaps to boost their inventory. One of them was the “Power Bar” which contains neem oil and pine tar, ingredients that they found were used to moisturize horse hooves but also worked wonders for his own skin condition. Another change they made was boosting their own prices after noticing that their vendors were selling their goods at a higher price point.

“It was my idea, but I was still thinking, and I hate to say it, we’re Black, we can’t make it too expensive, because no one’s gonna buy it,” said Aaron. “But [Ty] did it anyway and sales actually picked up as she’s inching it up. She was like, ‘I told you, like, we’ve got quality stuff.”

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Jars of scented sea salts are on display on the Salt Bar at Olive Branch in downtown Decatur, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Bita Honarvar for the AJC)

Since then, Olive Branch’s product line has grown to include lotions, shower steamers and body mists as well as candles, oils and scrubs sold through their upper tier brands Garden of Olivia and Oliveberry. The latter has the popular “lotion lantern,” a candle with base that turns into a rubbing oil when lit.

While the products speak for themselves, the original branding and vibe of the store stands out as well. Aaron, who raps under the name “Elz Jenkins” uses his knack for words on much of the packaging, with soaps named “Don’t take it for Pomegranate” and “Rinse-zel Washing-ton.” The couple also modeled the appearance after the Apple store to give it a simple modern aesthetic.

“A white couple came in and the husband was impressed with how knowledgeable I was,” said Ty who added that the shopper assumed that she only worked there. “He goes ‘you must get a crazy commission’ and I say ‘yes I do, 100%.’”

Embarrassed, he apologized for his assumption.

“That let me know, like we did a great job at making this just look like a beautiful store and not just a Black owned store. We of course love our people and want to cater to them, but it’s for everyone. It’s not just for us.”

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