Wherever Miracle Jones is, her kids are guaranteed to be within a leg-grabbing distance. As the owner and namesake of Miraculous Braidz, Jones has spent the last four years striking a balance between business owner and mother.
Jones began braiding on her dolls when she was 12. Originally from Los Angeles, she moved to Bellingham to be near her mother when she was pregnant with her first child. She made a post on Facebook to see if anyone in the area would be interested in braiding services.
“Come to find out, there are no other braiders in town,” Jones says. “I got a lot of comments that blew me out of the water, and I opened up the shop.”
Photograph courtesy of Miracle Jones
Sandwiched between beige and white storefronts, the pink exterior that houses Miraculous Braidz is difficult to miss. Inside, beauty services range from tooth gems to glitter tattoos to an extensive menu of hair styling options. They also travel to parties and provide face painting, balloon animals, and costume characters. Despite the number of services they currently offer, Miraculous Braidz’s catalog is ever-expanding.
Photograph Courtesy of Miracle Jones
“I’ll just have an idea and I’ll push on it and promote it and keep adding to it and working on it,” Jones says. “Right now, we have a lady doing henna; it’s her working interview.”
Jones’s drive to expand her business and services comes from a passion for making people feel good about themselves. Hair is an important pillar in the Black community and, as one of the only braiders in Bellingham, Jones feels a responsibility to her community.
“So many Black little girls come in here with men’s haircuts because [their parents] don’t know how to deal with their hair,” Jones says. “It’s a confidence thing… Being able to have it laid and done brings so many smiles to the community, for sure.”
Jones mentioned a need to clarify who can receive hair services at her shop. “I’ve got that question so many times in my inbox: ‘Is it appropriate for me to get my hair braided?’ And the answer for me is yes,” Jones said. “I don’t speak for nobody else, but everyone is welcome here to get their hair done.”
Alongside running her shop and homeschooling her three kids, Jones has also been putting on a variety of events all over Bellingham. This March, Jones and a team of volunteers packed 6,000 Easter eggs for the glow-in-the-dark egg hunt that Jones organized for the second year in a row.
“I pay for it all out of pocket. There are no sponsors,” Jones says. “I just try to do something for each holiday and it turns out bigger than I could have ever expected.”
Photograph courtesy of Miracle Jones
She cites Google and faith as her biggest helpers while learning to organize events, and says she has “10,000 more ideas” held back only by being just one person.
Jones said her LA roots are what motivate her to organize these events. She felt there was nothing to bring the community together in Bellingham, and she wanted to change that. Her second annual Juneteenth celebration this past June featured DJs, food trucks, live music, and guest speakers.
“It’s just really coming from where I come from,” Jones says. “Juneteenth isn’t enough, even the egg hunt. We should be having block parties every month.”
Only time will tell what new ideas Jones is cooking up, but one thing’s for sure: she’ll be offering her range of beauty services at Lynden’s Northwest Washington Fair from Aug. 8-17, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., with kids in tow. 1517 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, 323.570.2750, miraculousbraidz.com
