HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – Naomi Braziel is 24 years old and she’s the owner and head decorator at Sweet Joy’s Cakes and Desserts located in Harrisonburg. Naomi always had a passion for making sweet treats so owning her own bakery at a young age is a huge accomplishment.
“It feels amazing. Being as young as I am and having a business already is really a blessing. I definitely attribute it to my parents and their support. My mom is my co-owner and she’s my head baker, so I really appreciate the support that I have in doing all of this,” said Naomi.
While owning a business can be fun, it also has its fair share of obstacles to overcome.
“Learning the ends and out of how we can do things within the city guide limits and everything was a learning curve. Then coming here and having employees was an adjustment because I now have to lead a team. It’s been a really nice learning season for me,” said Naomi.
Naomi’s mother, Michelle, also plays a huge role at the bakery. She says it’s a rewarding feeling to see her African American daughter living out her dream because there was a time when it wasn’t easy for black people to do so.
“With me being 58 and being born in the 60′s, it’s really important to see where we’ve come as a group of people. It’s an amazing opportunity to have our own business now in 2025. It’s just a testament to all of those that came before to make this happen,” said Michelle.
Sweet Joy’s Cakes and Desserts opened in 2022, Naomi and her mom are looking forward to seeing what else they can make happen for their happy customers.
10 minutes away from the bakery is where you can find Salon Eleven located on Liberty Street. Valerie Sampson has been a stylist for more than 30 years and opened Salon Eleven back in 2008. She’s proud of all of her success thus far.
“It’s a great feeling because you’re always trying to inspire others. It comes with challenges and opportunities. I try to look at the challenges in a different set of lenses and most of the time I just allow those to motivate me and keep me going,” said Valerie.
Valerie also makes it her mission to ensure her staff has different backgrounds.
“I have an incredible bunch of people here at the salon. It’s very diverse. I used to have a sign out that said ‘If diversity makes you feel uncomfortable, then this is definitely not the place for you,” said Valerie.
With diversity being an important factor at her salon, this is one of the reasons why Valerie believes black history should be celebrated year-round.
“I don’t want to say I have a bad taste for black history month, but I just feel like we should be celebrated all year long,” said Valerie. “I just don’t feel like I need a special month for me to recognize that I’m black because I live with it.”
It’s imperative for everyone to understand the contributions black heroes and pioneers have made throughout history. That’s because black history is America’s history.
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