I grew up in Albany Park. I went to Hibbard for grade school. Roosevelt was my high school. We went to Von for junior high; 6th, 7th, and 8th were at Von Steuben and so we would cross over the river to come to Foster. The Candy Tree opened up [on Foster] when they built the building across from us, which is 3323 Foster. That was a candy store, and their names were May and Dorothy. So when I started to work at Taylor Hair Dezign in ‘94 (I've been here since I was 20 years old!), they were clients of this salon and I was introduced to them as a stylist. I was like “Oh wow!” We literally went there all the time for candy.
I was born in Puerto Rico of Palestinian background. I've owned the business since 2013. I took over from the second owner who was a receptionist for Steve Taylor. When I opened the place, I made it hijab-friendly, which is a section for women. And it helps not just Islamic women, but other women that needed their privacy. And the people here are very diverse. They're comfortable, so you have all colors, all races, all ages.
Rasmia Abulsheikh was interviewed by a neighbor in August of 2021.