About Us

Veola James is the daughter of Theresa Wright, a first generation entrepreneur, that opened a beauty salon on the busy intersection of Main and Jackson, in Memphis, Tennessee in the early 1950's.  This was unheard of at the time, especially in the deep south. Well that same will and determination, that Theresa Wright possessed, was passed down to Veola James.  Veola became a licensed cosmetologist in 1960, and moved to Chicago at the age of 18 to start her career as a hair stylist.  After a brief career in the beauty industry, she decided to go to school for dental assistance, where she would eventually meet her husband, the late Dr. Edward Jerome James.  In 1974, the two were married and as Veola began her family, the passion of making women feel and look good still burned in her heart.  In 1980, Veola began designing jewelry and clothing for the “everyday woman”.  Veola’s jewelry designs were a work of art, and garnished so much attention that she was invited to showcase her pieces all over the world, and was featured in various fashion magazines.  Later, she became the first African-American female jewelry designer to be highlighted at the famous Saks Fifth Ave store on Michigan Ave in Chicago.  From 1985-1996, Veola owned and operated a designer boutique.  But Veola could see the writing on the wall, and knew that the birth of the internet, in the 1990’s, would change the retail industry forever.  Therefore, Veola decided to return back to her first love, the beauty industry!! In 1997, Veola became a licensed cosmetology teacher and esthetician.  Armed with these powerful tools, Veola decided to downscale the retail area of the 1500 square ft. boutique and build 3 rooms, providing waxing, facials, massages and nail care to her clients.  By doing this, Veola combined shopping and pampering all under one roof.  By this time, Veola’s daughter, Jasmine James, had graduated from Florida A&M University with her degree in Business Administration and decided to become part of the business.  But in the words of her mother, “You can’t teach what you don’t know, and lead where you’ve never been”.  So, after graduation, Jasmine enrolled in cosmetology school and became a licensed cosmetologist in 1998.  After joining the business with her mother, Veola and Jasmine successfully grew the business, and outgrew the 1500 square ft boutique space and moved into a 6,500 square ft facility in 2001, that is known today, as Veola’s Day Spa and Wellness Center Inc. with a client database over 21,000 clients!!!