MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | From a Mother's Promise to a Downtown Flagship: Nature's Syrup Beauty Opens First Minneapolis Store During Black Business Week

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (July 15, 2026) What began at a kitchen table with a mother's determination to restore her daughter's confidence is about to become one of downtown Minneapolis' newest Black-owned business success stories.

Nature's Syrup Beauty, the award-winning, plant-based beauty company founded by Minneapolis entrepreneur De'Vonna Pittman, will celebrate the grand opening of its first permanent flagship store on Wednesday, July 29, marking a significant milestone for both the company and downtown Minneapolis' ongoing business revitalization efforts.

Located in the Baker Center Skyway at 733 Marquette Avenue, the new flagship store will officially open during the City of Minneapolis' 6th Annual Black Business Week, positioning the business at the center of a week dedicated to celebrating Black entrepreneurship and economic opportunity.

The opening also represents another step forward for downtown Minneapolis, as Nature's Syrup Beauty becomes the first new business of 2026 to join the Chameleon Shop initiative, a program designed to transform vacant downtown storefronts into permanent homes for women-owned and BIPOC-owned businesses.

A Business Born From a Mother's Love

Behind the company's rapid growth is a deeply personal story.

Nine years ago, Pittman's young daughter came home from school in tears after classmates mocked her natural hair. Wanting desperately to fit in, she asked her mother to straighten it.

For Pittman, the moment became life-changing.

Rather than reinforce the message that natural hair needed to be changed, she decided to challenge the beauty standards that had caused her daughter to doubt herself.

She embraced her own natural hair, began researching plant-based ingredients, and started creating hair care products in her kitchen with a simple mission: helping people embrace the beauty they were born with.

"That moment changed the trajectory of my life," Pittman said. "Seeing my daughter question her own beauty made me realize how deeply beauty standards had shaped both of us. I decided to break that cycle."

Those homemade formulations eventually became Nature's Syrup Beauty, officially founded in 2017.

Today, the Minneapolis-based company sells products nationwide through Walmart Marketplace, Macy's Marketplace, Amazon and select Hy-Vee locations.

Now, it is establishing its first permanent retail home in the city where the company began.

More Than a Retail Store

Company leaders say the new location is intended to be far more than a traditional beauty store.

Customers will have access to the company's complete line of luxury plant-based hair and skincare products while also participating in educational workshops, live product-making demonstrations, wellness events and community programming.

The flagship will also include a refill station that allows customers to reuse product containers, supporting the company's sustainability goals.

Pittman says creating a gathering place has always been just as important as creating beauty products.

"My goal wasn't simply to make great products," she said. "It was to create products people could trust—made with clean, effective ingredients that nourish textured hair and a wide range of skin types. Beauty begins with belonging, and we hope our products give people the confidence to embrace and celebrate the beauty they already possess."

She added that the downtown location represents an investment in Minneapolis itself.

"Opening our flagship store downtown is about so much more than opening a business. It's about creating jobs, investing in Minneapolis, and helping write the next chapter of our city's comeback. We hope Nature's Syrup Beauty becomes a place where people don't just shop—they gather, learn, heal and feel a sense of belonging."

Supporting Downtown Revitalization

City and downtown leaders view the flagship as another example of how locally owned businesses can help strengthen Minneapolis' economic recovery.

Nature's Syrup Beauty becomes the newest addition to the Chameleon Shop initiative, a partnership led by the Minneapolis Downtown Council and community organizations that helps emerging entrepreneurs establish permanent storefronts in downtown spaces that were previously vacant.

Lisa Middag, Senior Director of Economic Development for the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District, said Pittman's selection reflects the initiative's broader mission.

"We couldn't be more excited to welcome De'Vonna Pittman and Nature's Syrup Beauty to downtown Minneapolis," Middag said. "Nature's Syrup Beauty embodies exactly what Chameleon was created to support—innovative entrepreneurs whose businesses strengthen downtown while creating spaces where community can thrive."

Grand Opening Celebration

The public is invited to attend the grand opening celebration on Wednesday, July 29, beginning at 12:00 p.m.

The event will include:

• A ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Guided tours of the new flagship store
• Live product demonstrations
• Shopping opportunities
• Giveaways
• A meet-and-greet with founder De'Vonna Pittman

The flagship store is located in the Baker Center Skyway, 733 Marquette Avenue, directly across from Paperboy in downtown Minneapolis.

Why It Matters

The opening represents more than another retail business moving into downtown Minneapolis.

For many residents, particularly those who have long sought greater representation in the beauty industry, Nature's Syrup Beauty reflects the growing success of Black-owned businesses built around community, wellness and cultural identity.

For downtown Minneapolis, it also signals continued momentum in efforts to fill vacant commercial spaces with locally owned businesses that attract visitors, create jobs and strengthen neighborhood connections.

Nearly a decade after one difficult conversation between a mother and her daughter inspired a new vision of beauty, that vision now has a permanent home in the heart of Minneapolis.

MinneapoliMedia | Community. Culture. Civic Life.