Kank's Store LLC
Material Goods/Craft/Flea/Art
Markets
About
We manufacture in the Charlottesville area, natural cosmetics with real natural and fresh ingredients such as Okra, Aloe Vera, Honey, Hibiscus, and several other herbs. We partner with local producers/farmers to source most of our ingredients. We also partner with small farmers in Cameroon and Senegal (Africa) to source our hibiscus flower.
We offer a variety of hair products (such as shampoo bar, solid conditioners, creams, leave-in) geared towards people struggling with dry, dull, and brittle hair, whether they have straight or curly hair. We also offer specific products helping women with curly hair to manage frizz. We recently launched a skincare line of products geared towards people struggling with dry skin.
Our products are available at the following local Organic stores: Rebecca's Natural Food, Integral Yoga, and Ellwood Thompsons.
I ( Dr. Cynthia Kankeu, owner) used my background in chemistry to formulate hair products designed according to different porosity levels. We manufacture small batches weekly to ensure that customers receive cosmetics that are fresh like food. Since our products are free of parabens, and because we only use ONE preservative, the shelf-life of our products is only 8- 12 months.
Programs and Partners
Location
Charlottesville, VA
Manager
I grew up in Cameroon, studied in Belgium, and moved to Charlottesville with my 3-year-old right before Covid. Things have been so hectic and scary with the pandemic, but at the same time, I have learned so much during these difficult times.
Thanks to the encouragement of my local customers at the Farmer's Market, I have been able to take a leap of faith and say goodbye to my previous lab job of fundamental cardiovascular research to focus solely on growing my passion project: my business and first love, Kank’s Store.
For a long time, I was so hard on myself, comparing my products to big brands, and felt ridiculous selling products with labels and jars which did not look like what we see in stores.
But my community supported me even when I wasn’t confident and when my packaging was not the most appealing, reminding me that they cared more about the quality of the product rather than how it looks.
I am really grateful to have a community like this and that's why I decided to also support local Farmer's and get my natural ingredients from them.
I work with 2 people in production and I have 3 sales representatives helping at the Farmer's Markets.
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