From Homeless to Hair Empire:
The Story of Shana “Peter-Gay” Gilbert
Jamaican Resilience. American Grit. A Love Story—and a Beauty Empire.
A few years ago, Shana came to the U.S. on what was supposed to be a legitimate work program—but it turned out to be a scam. She was stranded in a foreign country, with no way home and no one to turn to. Her visa expired, she couldn’t find legal work, and she found herself homeless, just trying to survive.
But even then—she never stopped working.
When I met Shana, I saw something special: not just a woman in a hard situation, but an artist, a visionary, and one of the hardest-working people I’d ever met. She was braiding hair wherever she could—on porches, in borrowed kitchens—just to earn a few dollars.
So I bought her a brand-new salon chair. It cost $79.
That one chair became the foundation of something incredible.
Fast forward five years: we’ve been together every day since. We’re now happily married (and yes, she’s fully legal), and she’s gone from scraping by to owning a full-blown hair empire.
Shana is the founder of Island Braids & Beauty, with two thriving locations in Palmetto, FL and Plant City, FL.
- Her Palmetto salon serves the Manatee, Sarasota, and Tampa area, with a full team of stylists and cosmetologists.
- Her Plant City salon draws clients from Orlando, Lakeland, and Tampa—many traveling long distances just to get in her chair. Some even fly in from out of state.
She specializes in braids, wig installs, sew-ins, crochet, twists, and re-twists—all rooted in Caribbean creativity and precision technique. Her work isn’t just a “style”—it’s transformation.
Shana also runs Island Wigs & Hair, offering a curated line of premium virgin and raw hair bundles, and a wide selection of high-quality human-hair wigs—some glueless, some traditional, but all far superior to what you’ll find on Amazon.
Even when products are drop-shipped, they’re sourced from vetted suppliers who meet her exacting standards.
She also created her own Jamaican oil-based hair growth treatment, now sold through The Jamaica Brand, to help women treat hair thinning, scalp conditions, and even greying.
From $79 to six figures. From porch braiding to salon ownership.
She didn’t just beat the odds—she built a brand.
And with the right support and business strategy (yes, straight out of Broke to Business Boss), she turned a side hustle into a legacy.