The scents of lavender, chamomile and acetone fill the air as the room hums with the sounds of buzzing machines, electric nail files and burbling water; and hanging over the window, a 50 percent off banner beckons passersby looking for pampering.
The Westcliff shopping center off of West Biddison Street has added a nail salon to its lineup of businesses. ProfessioNails opened late January. Salon manager Lynh Pham offered 50 percent off all salon services. She said it was an effort to gain popularity from residents around the area.
“We have been really busy since our opening day,” Pham said.
When it comes to small businesses, nail salons are a fast growing segment. The country saw a 9.9 percent increase in the number of salons last year, according to Nailsmag.com. Texas has the second-most nail salons with nearly 5,000 out of the almost 54,000 in the country.
“Our main focus is cleanliness,” Pham said. “Every tool we use is new, and everything is sanitized before the customers sit down. We make sure our service is nice and friendly, and that will keep the customers happy.”
In order to keep their salon organized, as well as their customers’ interest in mind, Lynh said ProfessioNails uses a computerized client record-keeping system. This records what their clients received at their last visit and when they should come back again.
Only 24 percent of salons keep a count of what is purchased by a computerized client record-keeping system, 42 percent keep a client record card, and 9 percent do not keep records at all, according to nailsmag.com.
“I am very pleased with my full set,” Philicia Shields, a first-time client of ProfessioNails and an employee around the Westcliff area, said. “It is in a convenient place for me to come after work and their service is really good, so I will be back pretty often.”
The salon has eight employees that commute in from Arlington everyday. It has 12 massage pedicure chairs and eight manicure stations. They give a variety of manicure, pedicure and waxing options.
Senior Megan Becker, kinesiology major at TCU, said, “this was really smart to have this sale when they’re this close to campus because tons of students are taking advantage of it now.”
The sale ended Monday, but the salon hopes to continue to see success.
“I know that the sale has brought most of them in, but we are hoping our service will keep them coming back,” Pham said.
Libby Vincek is the 109’s police and neighborhood reporter. Email her at [email protected].