Angels Nails offers unique
salon experience
After six years, Kingston business continues to grow
By ALAN K. STOUT
Westside Bulletin
Correspondent
Kim Le has always had
an artistic side. She’s always enjoyed drawing and artwork and she knows
the importance of attention to detail. And that - combined with her ambition
and a fine sense for business - has resulted in the success of Angels Nails, a
nail salon that she owns and operates in Kingston.
Le, 37, has operated the
business, which is located near Kingston Corners, for the past six years. She had
previously owned a nail salon in Houston, Texas. A native of South
Vietnam, she has lived in the United States for the past 15 years. She
says that while in Vietnam, she went to college to become a school teacher, and
following graduation, she also opened her own computer repair shop. She
was inspired by her parents, who were both hard workers, to go into business
for herself, and eventually, nails became her career choice.
“It seems that so many people
that live in the States, and are from Vietnam, do nails,” says Le with a
laugh. “When I came to the United States, I had a lot of problems with my
accent, and I didn’t think I could go back to the school. I had just finished
school in Vietnam, so that wasn’t something I thought I could do. So I
started working at a nail shop. I cleaned and painted nails for the little
kids.”
Kim Le works with a client at Angels Nails |
Le says she soon found that
creating artwork on hands came easily to her.
“It was just natural,” she
says. “When I was younger, I loved to draw. My favorite cartoon was ‘Snow
White,’ and I painted my whole wall in my room like that. And I just kept
drawing. If anyone shows me a picture, I can draw it, exactly.”
Le says that she enjoyed working
at the salon and decided, over the course of a year, to get an official license
for doing nails. She then opened her own shop.
The interior of Angels Nails |
“I like the job,” she says.
“Some people have nothing, and I do their nails, and it makes them feel beautiful.
I’m happy. And they’re happy.”
In addition to painting
nails, Angles Nails also offers pedicures, manicures, waxing, eyelash
extensions and eyebrow microblading. While getting a pedicure, clients can also relax in one of the salon’s four massage chairs. Le says that though
operating such salons is competitive business, she does well and has been
successful partly because of her ability to create specific designs.
“I’m lucky,” she says. “If
they bring a photo in, or see something in a magazine, I can do it exactly like
that. And a lot of other shops can’t do that. We’re good for that.”
Angels Nails is located at
253 Wyoming Avenue in Kingston. In addition to Le, it has a staff of three
employees. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. One of
Le’s best assets for her business, besides her talent, is her word-of-mouth
reputation. She has a sizable following on Facebook and clients that come from
not only all throughout Luzerne County, but also its surrounding counties. Some
even come from out of state.
“I have people that drive two
hours,” she says. “They come from New York and New Jersey, often for the
eyebrow microblading, because of our pricing. And we have a lot that come 30
minutes or more, because they want a certain design. Other places don’t do
designs.
Angel Nails, located on Wyoming Avenue in Kingston |
“We take care of all of
that.”
(For more information
about Angels Nails, call (570) 283-9090.
This article originally appeared in The Westside Bulletin