I sit down with Yi, the owner of The Nail Studio in Upper Bangor, to talk business and most of all, beauty.
Ever felt deflated or stressed from student life? Well there is a small beauty salon in Upper Bangor that you need to visit to put yourself back on track. The Nail Studio in Upper Bangor is run by manger Yi and her team and offers a great place to escape to. With plenty of treatments to offer at great prices, you are bound to fall in love just as I did when I visited to ask Yi all about her business here in Bangor.
How long have you been in Bangor for?
A year now, literally a year ago last September. I’ve been working here full time since February as I have recently took over management duty but there is a lot more dedication towards the business now.
What made you want to set up the business?
I came here in 2004 for my masters’ degree and met my husband here and got married. This shop actually used to be a bookshop where I use to work but it went bankrupt so I saw an opportunity to take it over and introduce a little glamour back into Bangor.
What treatments do you offer?
We started just from doing nails and eyebrows but now we have expanded to doing eyelash extensions, eyelash lifting, facials, massages and spray tanning for both women and men. The men’s treatments such as waxing and spray tanning having become increasingly popular.
What are your price ranges?
They can start from as cheap as £5 for an eyebrow wax or a full set of acrylics for £30 but students get 20% off everything, as we understand students are limited with budget. We often do bundle deals where we combine many treatments for less of the price and they are very popular, especially in the summer with people going on holiday and weddings.
Who are you targeting?
Because of our location we are very student friendly but we try and cater for both needs of students and locals. I would like to think because we are all fairly young people that work here, we can relate to the students. Our prices are reasonable for students as well; they can get an eyebrow wax for the same price as a bottle of wine! (We are talking simple Blossom Hill here girls)
Who would you say is your main consumer?
I would say our consumer age is a very wide range. We have younger students and locals coming in and middle aged women. But we are always very busy around the time when the summer ball comes along with girls wanting their nail and eyebrows done.
What’s been your biggest highlight since opening up the shop?
I think I would say probably being able to make people feel fabulous when they walk in through the door and make them feel even better when they walk out, that’s the biggest satisfaction.
What is the customer’s feedback?
The customers always feel relaxed and pampered when they leave and as you can see we offer quite a chilled atmosphere (as I slide back into my chair getting my nails done). A customer favourite is that we book people in making sure we leave enough time between each one so they don’t feel rushed and feel like they got a personalised service. We always welcome customer’s opinions, as we are open to change and to learn as we go.
With this great customer satisfaction you must have regulars come in?
Yes, we do have people coming in every 2 to 3 weeks to have their nails done or their eyelashes or generally just come in for a little relaxation. We tend to have more local regulars than students but we also do have loyal students who always come as well.
For anyone who hasn’t heard of you before, how would you describe the business in 3 words?
Professional, unique and welcoming. A lot of people say we have a different feel to many other nail or beauty studios but in a good way!
What treatment is your favorite and what do you recommend?
I love doing the nails and the nail art and doing eyelashes so I have to recommend our amazing nail art. Nicola likes to do everything and Tash is very strong on massages and facials. So we all have our own strengths so it makes for a strong team.
