So, I was driving through my old neighborhood the other day and spotted a sign in a nail salon I had not seen before that said "Grand Opening", so I thought I'd stop in and see what was up.
It was a neat and clean shop and Jenny, the owner, was there to enthusiastically greet me when I walked in. When I asked if they had any grand opening specials, she told me that they did, and the specials were good for men too. I have to admit, it did surprise (impress) me that she had even considered her potential male clients, and so I chose a spa pedicure to see how she treated me.
Jenny told me that she had been previously through nursing school but could not find a job in that field, and then she decided to take a course in cosmetology because she had always liked it. It just so happened that she had a friend who had not quite been able to handle running this business, and so Jenny agreed to take it on. Well, I have to say that she has the gift for providing great service and she knows how to treat her customers like royalty. She is a smart business woman too, she had set up the salon so it was very comfortable and functional with four manicure stations and six pedicure chairs.
The pedicure she gave me was wonderful; relaxing, soothing and enjoyable. When she finished with the cleaning and trimming, Jenny asked if I would like any polish and I asked her if she had any other male clients who got polish with pedicures,he replied that yes, she had four others who were regulars. I asked for her suggestion on a color and she went to her collection of mostly OPI colors nicely displayed on the wall. She returned with a few colors she thought I'd like and I decided on this lighter gray/tan.
The results of my experience were fantastic and my feet felt great for days afterwards. As I was about ready to leave, one of her other clients walked in and she noticed my feet, commenting that she thought they looked really good, wishing that her husband would come in and have his done too.
I am telling you about this experience because I think Jenny really works at offering the best service she can to her customers, and she is open-minded and just as accomodating to men as well as she is to women. She is an impressive salon operator because she knows that a happy customer will become a repeat customer - as well as referring others to her.
I think that in order to be successful in today's tight economy, we all need to take a lesson from Jenny. Provide the best customer service you can, and it will come back to you.
I have already referred two propsective clients to her.
In case you are ever in the area and want to stop in for some great nail service, do a search on "Katie Nails" in Savage, MN. She is on Facebook too.
And yes, I gave Jenny a generous tip too! ; )
I just started following you and I wanted to give you compliments for your feet. They look really neat and I love the nail polish your wearing!
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to find a good service place! Your feet look great - nice color! What color was it (name)? I'm a do-it-yourself-er.
ReplyDeleteGreat story Jake. I was checking out after my spa pedi this last Friday, and setting up my next appointment. Just then one of our friends from church came in. She asked if I was picking up my wife, and I told her no, that I had just gotten a pedicure and was just leaving. She looked down at my feet and noticed that I also had them polished (OPI - Tickle My Francey), and commented on how nice they looked, and how much she wished her husband, a good friend of mine, would come in for a pedi. I told her I would talk to him, and she thanked me and then, as a nice gesture, paid for my next pedi.
ReplyDeleteNow I've got to convince Lee, who I'm having lunch with tomorrow to go in for a pedi. Heck I might even go with him.
Another thing, when I arrived for my appointment on Friday, I noticed that they had changed their sign to add "We Now Offer Manicures and Pedicures for Men Too."
I think this is catching on.
Nothing beats a good service. It is a very pleasant experience for the customer, who is treated like a queen or king, but also the best reference and advertising for the business.
ReplyDeleteYour pedi's looking great, however it is hard to tell the difference between the salon's pedis and the ones you have done at home.
It sounds like Jenny deserved a big tip. =) She did a great job, judging by the photo.
ReplyDeleteJake, what is the name of that color?
ReplyDeleteNice pedi!! It's nice to find a place where to get yourself (and feet) pampered.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the great comments!
ReplyDeleteAnd welcome to our blog, Michelle. It's nice to have you join us. : )
BTW, the color was "Fiji Wiji Fawn" by OPI.
Excellent! My wife has that color, but never wears it. It's MINE now.
ReplyDeleteKevin, I thought your story was awesome! Thank you for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteYou know, it may seem funny to some gals that a guy would even take the time to convey this kind of story, but it still makes me smile to hear about a good experience a guy had because wearing his nails polished is still fairly new thing for men.
And you gals who comment positively here too - Thank You Tons! - because it just shows that there are many kind and open-minded people out there too, not just the ones we fret about.
It's kind of like when you were just going out and were so afraid of rejection, you were reluctant to ask that really pretty girl that you liked for a date. If she said 'no' then you'd be crushed. But, if she said 'yes' the world was yours!
With wearing polish, many guys fear the rejection so much that they just won't go there. Well, I'm the guy who asked and got the pretty girl. And, I enjoy wearing polish too. And to all of you who follow this blog, I just want ot Thank You for being yourselves and sharing this artistic and fun hobby openly.
Kami, I actually took the picture after the pedi, when I got home.
ReplyDeleteJeny likes me as a customer because she says I'm 'easy' since I already take good care of my nails. And she is pretty good at this too, she even gave me a few tips to make my pedicures look even better.
Well Jake, it took me a few beers, and the use of my boat for a weekend, but I finally talked my friend Lee into a pedi, he is scheduled to go to the salon with me at my next appointment in three weeks.
ReplyDeleteJake, you should take it as a compliment, your homemade pedicures are as good as the salon ones. Perhaps one day you will make a business out of your passion and open a nail salon.
ReplyDeleteI am eager to hear about Jeny's tips for better pedicures, I get excited everytime I learn new tips for perfect pedicures and why not manicures.
Just discovered a wonderful product for cuticles. It's "Burt's Bees - Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream". I have been using it for a week now and I am amazed at how nice and pliable my cuticles are. It's got a really nice lemony fragrance too, kind of like a lemon meringue pie.
ReplyDeleteHiya Kevin. I'm so glad you found Katie and her non-biased salon. I think the lacquer you chose is awesome and to find a salon you can frequent and be treated like royalty is a double bonus. Congrats. :D
ReplyDelete