Business

Black Business Spotlight: Body Love

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER — The most successful businesses tend to solve a problem. Sabrina Jones’ problem was eczema and dry, over-sensitive skin. Her solution: Body Love Products. Unable to wear products with fragrances, Jones created her own line of bath and body products incorporating aromatherapy, pure essential oils, and all-natural ingredients.

Published

7 years ago

June 20, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stephenetta (isis) Harmon

Through friends and family, word gets out

The most successful businesses tend to solve a problem. Sabrina Jones’ problem was eczema and dry, over-sensitive skin. Her solution: Body Love Products.

Sabrina Jones (Photo by: Desiree L. Wells)

Unable to wear products with fragrances, Jones created her own line of bath and body products incorporating aromatherapy, pure essential oils, and all-natural ingredients.

For 20 years, she has worked in child protection and training, which she said also informs her creations. “I work in a very stressful environment,” said Jones. “How can I combine two things that can help me and deal with not only the wellness of my skin, but also [serve] as a mood stabilizer?”

We chat here with this rising entrepreneur about her skin and wellness line and goals for growth and longevity.

MSR: What is Body Love?

Sabrina Jones: I provide unique aromatherapy, wellness, and stress relief solutions for your skin. I handcraft a variety of aromatherapy body butters, hair and facial treatments, products and accessories [for] those that suffer from dry skin, inflammation, blemishes.

MSR: What inspired you?

SJ: I just wanted to be able to have something that anyone could use — from an infant to someone in their 90s — anyone dealing with acne or inflammation, or just wanting a product that can help stabilize their mood, hence the aromatherapy piece.

When I became pregnant with my first child, that pushed me forward in really creating my product.

MSR: How did you figure out how to mix this stuff up?

SJ: I’ve always been a creative person. It’s really working around your scents, so I just get different scents together that I would like and play around with it. That’s the fun part. I work with shea butter, and I break that down, and then I just start mixing.

MSR: What’s your top-selling product?

JS: It’s my body butters. I have eight different fragrances, and my body butters are multi-use, so you’re able to use them on your hair, your face, your body. Within the body butters, Daydream is my number-one seller. It’s like a light, sweet scent [mixed] with sweet orange and lemon with melon and other ingredients for the skin, like tea tree oil and jojoba.

Second is my facial foam wash. It helps with blemishes, acne, razor bumps, pimples. And most of my customers are able to see a difference within a week. I have a lot of testimonials based off of that, and I am working to get a patent [on the formula].

MSR: How did you know this could be a business?

JS: Well, I would not be here and my company would not have grown over four years without word-of-mouth referrals, because this truly started out as a hobby for me. And then the word started to get out.

MSR: How does your business impact the community?

JS: With friends and family and referrals coming through, I started to see how it was positively impacting others and in the community. I started getting invited to different events in the community, like popups, events on wellness and health, as well as to talk about aromatherapy and how it can help as an alternative, or a supplement, to over-the-counter medicines. I love that educational piece to it.

I also donate some of my proceeds to organizations within child welfare that provide programming for youth.

MSR: What has been the most rewarding part of owning your business?

JS: The community response! Businesses grow with consumer support. I support my business capitally, but it’s because of the consumers why I’m doing it. With the demand and the increasing partnerships that I’m having with other businesses, it’s become a point of pride.

MSR: Tell us about the partnerships.

JS: I have some local business partnerships [where you can purchase my products]. One is Heimies Haberdashery in Saint Paul. They carry my aromatherapy balls. Privileged Barber Lounge in Saint Paul, as well. And then I have a new partnership with Andros Med Spa in Mendota Heights. We have a launch on July 16^th. Those are places locally that have also supported me in my growth. I’m also at Market at Macy’s at Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta. I’m there until August.

MSR: What has been the biggest challenge?

JS: Stepping up my game as far as making our products more accessible and becoming more visible. Yes, I’m in Minnesota, locally known; I want to be nationally, if not internationally, known. So really [it’s about] figuring out that you have this masterpiece and how do you get others to be able to learn about it as well.

And then too, with any business it’s [about] capital, because I fund my own business and I’m a mom, I’m a wife, have my home life, and then I have my business. So, it’s how to keep things going without going under and not stretching yourself so thin that there’s no sustainability. I’m still trying to figure that out.

MSR: What does success look like for you?

JS: I think the short-term success is obviously sales — not in the form of profit, but in the form of somebody taking a step towards their own self-care and wellness. When they purchase one of my products, I see that as success because they’re taking control of that for themselves. It means to me that I didn’t do this in vain.

MSR: And long-term success?

JS: Legacy. Eventually, I want to be able to solely work for myself and create a sustainable business that my son can take over, or I shall I say my grandkids can take over.

MSR readers can use coupon code Love Yourself receive $5 off $25 purchase.

For more info, including local locations, visit bodyloveproducts.com.

This article originally appeared in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

3 days ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Lu Lu’s House is Not Just Toying Around with the Community

Wilson and Lambert will be partnering with Mayor Barbara Lee on a toy giveaway on Dec. 20. Young people, like Dremont Wilkes, age 15, will help give away toys and encourage young people to stay in school and out of trouble. Wilkes wants to go to college and become a specialist in financial aid. Sports agent Aaron Goodwin has committed to giving all eight young people from Lu Lu’s House a fully paid free ride to college, provided they keep a 3.0 grade point average and continue the program. Lu Lu’s House is not toying around.

Published

1 week ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Tania Fuller Bryant, Zirl Wilson, Dremont Wilkes, Tracy Lambert and Dr. Geoffrey Watson. Courtesy Oakland Private Industry

Special to the Post

Lu Lu’s House is a 501c3 organization based in Oakland, founded by Mr. Zirl Wilson and Mr. Tracy Lambert, both previously incarcerated. After their release from jail, they wanted to change things for the better in the community — and wow, have they done that!

The duo developed housing for previously incarcerated people, calling it “Lu Lu’s House,” after Wilson’s wonderful wife. At a time when many young people were robbing, looting, and involved in shootings, Wilson and Lambert took it upon themselves to risk their lives to engage young gang members and teach them about nonviolence, safety, cleanliness, business, education, and the importance of health and longevity.

Lambert sold hats and T-shirts at the Eastmont Mall and was visited by his friend Wilson. At the mall, they witnessed gangs of young people running into the stores, stealing whatever they could get their hands on and then rushing out. Wilson tried to stop them after numerous robberies and finally called the police, who Wilson said, “did not respond.” Having been incarcerated previously, they realized that if the young people were allowed to continue to rob the stores, they could receive multiple criminal counts, which would take their case from misdemeanors to felonies, resulting in incarceration.

Lu Lu’s House traveled to Los Angeles and obtained more than 500 toys
for a Dec. 20 giveaway in partnership with Oakland Mayor Barbara
Lee. Courtesy Oakland Private Industry,

Wilson took it upon himself to follow the young people home and when he arrived at their subsidized homes, he realized the importance of trying to save the young people from violence, drug addiction, lack of self-worth, and incarceration — as well as their families from losing subsidized housing. Lambert and Wilson explained to the young men and women, ages 13-17, that there were positive options which might allow them to make money legally and stay out of jail. Wilson and Lambert decided to teach them how to wash cars and they opened a car wash in East Oakland. Oakland’s Initiative, “Keep the town clean,” involved the young people from Lu Lu’s House participating in more than eight cleanup sessions throughout Oakland. To assist with their infrastructure, Lu Lu’s House has partnered with Oakland’s Private Industry Council.

For the Christmas season, Lu Lu’s House and reformed young people (who were previously robbed) will continue to give back.

Lu Lu’s House traveled to Los Angeles and obtained more than 500 toys.

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Desmond Gumbs — Visionary Founder, Mentor, and Builder of Opportunity

Gumbs’ coaching and leadership journey spans from Bishop O’Dowd High School, Oakland High School, Stellar Prep High School. Over the decades, hundreds of his students have gone on to college, earning academic and athletic scholarships and developing life skills that extend well beyond sports.

Published

1 week ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

NCAA football history was made this year when Head Coach from Mississippi Valley State, Terrell Buckley and Head Coach Desmond Gumbs both had starting kickers that were Women. This picture was taken after the game. Courtesy photo.

Special to the Post

For more than 25 years, Desmond Gumbs has been a cornerstone of Bay Area education and athletics — not simply as a coach, but as a mentor, founder, and architect of opportunity. While recent media narratives have focused narrowly on challenges, they fail to capture the far more important truth: Gumbs’ life’s work has been dedicated to building pathways to college, character, and long-term success for hundreds of young people.

A Career Defined by Impact

One of his most enduring contributions is his role as founder of Stellar Prep High School, a non-traditional, mission-driven institution created to serve students who needed additional structure, belief, and opportunity. Through Stellar Prep numerous students have advanced to college — many with scholarships — demonstrating Gumbs’ deep commitment to education as the foundation for athletic and personal success.

NCAA football history was made this year when Head Coach from
Mississippi Valley State, Terrell Buckley and Head Coach Desmond
Gumbs both had starting kickers that were women. This picture was
taken after the game.

A Personal Testament to the Mission: Addison Gumbs

Perhaps no example better reflects Desmond Gumbs’ philosophy than the journey of his son, Addison Gumbs. Addison became an Army All-American, one of the highest honors in high school football — and notably, the last Army All-Americans produced by the Bay Area, alongside Najee Harris.

Both young men went on to compete at the highest levels of college football — Addison Gumbs at the University of Oklahoma, and Najee Harris at the University of Alabama — representing the Bay Area on a national level.

Building Lincoln University Athletics From the Ground Up

In 2021, Gumbs accepted one of the most difficult challenges in college athletics: launching an entire athletics department at Lincoln University in Oakland from scratch. With no established infrastructure, limited facilities, and eventually the loss of key financial aid resources, he nonetheless built opportunities where none existed.

Under his leadership, Lincoln University introduced:

Football
Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Men’s and Women’s Soccer

Operating as an independent program with no capital and no conference safety net, Gumbs was forced to innovate — finding ways to sustain teams, schedule competition, and keep student-athletes enrolled and progressing toward degrees. The work was never about comfort; it was about access.

Voices That Reflect His Impact

Desmond Gumbs’ philosophy has been consistently reflected in his own published words:

“if you have an idea, you’re 75% there the remaining 25% is actually doing it.”
“This generation doesn’t respect the title — they respect the person.”
“Greatness is a habit, not a moment.”

Former players and community members have echoed similar sentiments in public commentary, crediting Gumbs with teaching them leadership, accountability, confidence, and belief in themselves — lessons that outlast any single season.

Context Matters More Than Headlines

Recent articles critical of Lincoln University athletics focus on logistical and financial hardships while ignoring the reality of building a new program with limited resources in one of the most expensive regions in the country. Such narratives are ultimately harmful and incomplete, failing to recognize the courage it takes to create opportunity instead of walking away when conditions are difficult.

The real story is not about early struggles — it is about vision, resilience, and service.

A Legacy That Endures

From founding Stellar PREP High School, to sending hundreds of students to college, to producing elite athletes like Addison Gumbs, to launching Lincoln University athletics, Desmond Gumbs’ legacy is one of belief in young people and relentless commitment to opportunity.

His work cannot be reduced to headlines or records. It lives on in degrees earned, scholarships secured, leaders developed, and futures changed — across the Bay Area and beyond.