CHICAGO (WLS) — A Chicago business owner who was featured on the show “Shark Tank” is asking for the public’s help.<\/p>\n
The owner of the hair care brand “CurlMix” says this could be her last year in business, citing high costs because of tariffs, inflation and other challenges.<\/p>\n
She’s calling on Chicagoans to help save her company.<\/p>\n
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24\/7. Click here to watch<\/a><\/p>\n CurlMix has been around for 10 years. It started in Chicago and became a national hit after the founders appeared on “Shark Tank.”<\/a><\/p>\n It was a moment that even the sharks couldn’t believe. CurlMix founders and South Side natives Kim and Tim Lewis rejected an offer from Robert Herjavec and betted on their brand.<\/p>\n “Being on ‘Shark Tank’ definitely put us on the national stage,” Kime Lewis said. “It was our biggest year in business.”<\/p>\n Their textured hair care products, known for their flaxseed recipe, were flying off the shelves nationwide. But today, the owner is asking the public to help save CurlMix.<\/p>\n “I am a proud, hardworking, entrepreneur, and I hate asking for help,” Lewis said. “My bank account was negative $18,000, and I was like, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do,’ and I was like, ‘I can’t just close silently.'”<\/p>\n Lewis says 2025 has been the hardest year for her business by far.<\/p>\n “When tariffs go up, our cost of raw materials goes up,” Lewis said. “The second thing I would say is… there’s less investment in DEI… we also have, people have less money, just in general. Everyone needs to think about their purchase a bit longer.”<\/p>\n