Qijah James brings ‘Back to Naturel’ to Project Row Houses

For nine years, Qijah James has been building something powerful from her home studio. Clients travel from all corners of Texas to sit in her chair at Back to Naturel, where hair care meets holistic wellness and self-expression. Now, as one of four entrepreneurs selected for Project Row Houses’ Business Residency Program, James is opening the doors to a commercial space she believes was worth the wait. Her journey from college dropout to Third Ward business owner is a testament to listening to intuition, honoring divine timing and trusting the process even when the path isn’t clear.

You’ve been a staple in Houston’s natural hair scene for nine years, building loyal clients who travel from all corners of Texas just to work with you. What was it like starting Back to Naturel, and how has it evolved over these years?

It’s been an amazing journey. I would truly say it was inspired by spirit. I always tell people the story of how I literally heard the voice of Spirit tell me to quit school and do hair. At that time, I was in college, about to enter my senior year, and one morning I woke up, and it was just like, quit school and do hair. I argued with that voice for like a week, but on that Friday, I went to the registrar’s office, and I dropped out of my classes and started working on faith. So it’s really been a very interesting journey, but it has been very much spirit led and inspired.

You’ve been selected for Project Row Houses’ Business Residency program out of what I’m sure was a very competitive pool. What made you apply, and what was your vision for being part of this cohort?

That again was spirit led because a few years ago, right around 2018, I had a home based studio. At some point, I wanted to expand and move into a commercial space, and I remember starting to look around. The more I looked, I was having it in my mind like, alright, I’m gonna have a little timeline where I’m gonna start transitioning. So around that time, the Spirit was like, nope, don’t do it, this is not the time. 

Every time I tried to get ready to call the number, go in and view the space, the Spirit was like, nope, it’s not the time. Good thing I listened because like six months later, COVID hit, and if I had moved then, I think it would have tanked my business because all the salons were shut down, we weren’t allowed to have contact with the clients, and it could have possibly led to me putting myself in a very risky situation. 

So I’m glad I listened, and now, with everything unfolding the way it has, everything happens in God’s perfect timing because this space is even better than I imagined. I walk in to work and I’m so happy. The space is so light, so bright, so airy, so zen. I love it, and my customers love it too. Everybody who’s come into the space has had such good things to say. So I’m glad I waited. A lot of times we get impatient, but really, it’s all in God’s timing.

The program provides up to three years of prime commercial space at a discounted rate, along with business mentorship and marketing support. How does that kind of support change what’s possible for a small business owner?

Well, I’m very excited because I’m someone who’s very creative, very dynamic. I like to try a lot of new things, and so now, with the support, I get professional guidance to go with my creativity, and then all the other support for the things I already have. I’ve done a natural hair video, I have a book that’s published, so they will be able to help me to take those things and launch them to the next level. I have ideas of how to expand my space, my business. 

A lot of times with small entrepreneurs, we are bootstrapping it. We’re getting money and we’re adding tiny bits into the business as we go along. A lot of times we cannot necessarily afford professional mentorship, to have the marketing muscle behind us, to have the PR focus, things of that nature. 

Project Row Houses is basically taking all of their resources and adding it to what we have to help us springboard to the next level. So I’m very excited about that, and my mind has been buzzing with ideas. It’s been like super hectic and super busy. I love it. So I’m really excited.

Project Row Houses says this program keeps dollars circulating within Third Ward and strengthens the local economy from the inside out. How do you see your business contributing to that vision?

I love it! I’ve already been plugged into Project Row Houses for years. They have had other business incubation spaces that I support. I go and buy products from them. I also live in the neighborhood, so I’m able to walk to work. My daughter takes piano lessons, so everybody’s linked. 

I could go buy flowers next door. I could go around the corner and meditate. These are all things I already do, so it’s wonderful. And then they have a bookstore which I already support. I like the fact that it’s walkable, and they also have different connection points for other activities that are going on in the neighborhood.

Looking ahead, what does success look like for Back to Naturel in this new space, and how do you hope your studio will continue to impact the Third Ward community?

The impact I hope to have is to be able to provide employment for other people in my community, to also be a resource or like a hub for positive events and activities centered around wholeness, health, just building community around that. One of the things that I am looking towards launching, and I have shared with Project Row Houses, is once a quarter, I want to have a gardener’s meetup because a lot of my clients are very much into holistic living. 

They’re gardening, they’re hiking. I think we’re doing a lot of the non-standard stuff that Black people don’t do, but we’re very much into nature. We like looking good, we like being healthy. We like being in community, so my goal is to be a connection spot for all of that and a place where people can come and feel good, connect with other people. 

I also plan to launch classes. A lot of my clients are also doctors, herbalists, artists, so the space will also be a meeting spot for people who want to connect into those things as well. So we’re growing our community, and we’ll provide a place for like minded minds to meet and grow and flourish together.

Where can we find you, the brick and mortar, the online? Give us all the details.

My website is www.backtonaturel.com. My Instagram is @thebacktonaturel. My address is 2306 Stuart Street and the zip is 77004. It’s in the heart of Third Ward, in the middle of all the goodness and surrounded by lots of Black love.

The community is invited to celebrate the official opening of Back to Naturel and three other businesses in Project Row Houses’ Business Residency Program at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST. The free event will take place at 2503 Holman Street in Houston’s historic Third Ward. Attendees can tour all four new businesses, enjoy light refreshments and connect with the entrepreneurs shaping the neighborhood’s economic future.