The City of Calgary is full of diverse voices. From the bustling streets of downtown, to the peaceful suburbs of Kincora and the culturally varied neighbourhoods of Cityscape and Redstone, the city takes on different identities depending on where you are.
And Black culture is deeply ingrained in the city’s diversity, with blooming businesses around it.
According to the 2021 census from StatCan, nearly 95,000 Canadians identify as Black or of African descent. The Black population of Calgary is estimated to be around 2.9 per cent according to canadapopulation.org, and a large part of that population consists of small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Supporting diverse businesses and learning about diverse communities is a powerful way for Calgarians to participate in our city’s growth, build connections and welcome new Calgarians. When small businesses are supported, they thrive. And thriving businesses put that energy back into their communities.
DevaDave Salon Boutique
Building community is something many Black business owners hold dear. Dave Richards, also known by his drag name, Deva Dave — which is also the name of his business — has worked hard to ensure that his salon is a welcoming space for all.
“My clients allow me to be honest with them and to call them out when they’re bullshitting themselves because of insecurities or because they have been told that they are not good enough. I don’t allow that to manifest in their heads at all.”
Richards’ hair salon and beauty store is located on Edmonton Trail, a vast difference from its previous locations in downtown Calgary. His original store was on 4th Street by what would eventually become the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre, then moved to 12th Avenue.
Due to issues like clients not finding safe and reliable parking and general dissatisfaction with the area, he moved to its current spot, where he has been since 2004.
Richard’s main objective is to ensure his clients’ happiness and encourage self-confidence through his business.
“You need to be comfortable in your skin, in who you are, and the conversations about sexuality: what you want, what you wear to make you feel sexy, how you feel about your body, all those things.
“I work very hard to make sure when [my clients] leave here, they’re quite clear that what other people think about you is not who you are. This is who you are. Don’t let anybody change that narrative for you, from your jobs to your friends.”
Black culture heavily features hair and fashion. From intricate cornrows and locs used as an act of rebellion to the “Black Luxury” style tags on social media sites like Instagram and TikTok, as a community, being Black can often be defined through fashion.
Richards is of Kittitian descent, and is mixed race — Black Kittitian and Indo-Caribbean. He takes immense pride in his culture.
“I am proud to be Caribbean. My heritage is a huge part of who I am. I’m from St. Kitts, an island in the Caribbean. I lived there until 1996. I went to hair school to kill time before I returned to study hospitality there, and that’s how I ended up doing hair, and I ended up staying behind in Calgary, and went into doing hair and film salons.”
Working in the hair and beauty industry means that Richards has interacted with lots of different people. From corporate lawyers, to young families, to women dealing with the aftermath of chemotherapy, he has seen it all.
“I have been successful in creating a space where men and women can walk in, nervous, confident, unsure, cautious, and leave feeling confident, reassured, safe. That’s what it means to me, having the space that anybody can come into from any background.
“You don’t have to be gay, you don’t have to be straight… It’s a space that people can come in and safely navigate and leave knowing something that they didn’t before they came in and feeling better about themselves, empowered.”
Richards noted how many new clients come to him from recommendations from friends or family and hospital nurses.
“I often get women with cancer who are dealing with hair loss. They come here, too, because of my wigs and an extensive collection of chemo turbans. Many, many communities converge in this space at once. You could have a drag queen over there, and this woman here is sick with cancer, so you have to put on a mask. But everyone is welcome.”
That means you, Calgary.
Book a cut with Dave today at devadave.com.
