Young Salo, 73

Founder, Young Nails

Greg and Habib Salo’s mom

Nail design: Greg Salo, Young Nails, Anaheim, Calif.

Mother, grandmother, business owner Young Salo works alongside her two sons, Greg and Habib, at Young Nails. She built the successful company and continues to work every day. “We all have a good sense of humor and get along really well,” Young says. “We laugh all the time.” Both her sons dote on her and credit her with introducing some of the company’s most successful products.

Shirley Kotite Young, 86

Erika Kotite’s mom

Nail design: Zen Nails, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Shirley Young raised four children and taught freshman English at Santa Rosa Junior College; when her hands weren’t grading papers they were preparing meals or stroking my hair when I didn’t feel well. As a single mom for most of that time, she did not get manicures very often, let alone fancy nail art. My mother was dazzled by the gold filigree design that was applied over the crimson color she selected. “Why, this is really fine artistry!” she exclaimed to her nail tech.

 

Terri Sims, 55

Buddy Sims’ mom

Nail design: Buddy Sims, creative director Tat’z Nail’z/instructor at College of Nail Design, Omaha, Neb.

Terri has been married for 33 years, had two boys, and enjoys six grandchildren. She is a talented vocalist, with hand painting and crafting skills to match. “My mother is a free spirit with a fun and playful attitude,” Sims explains. “Her hands that have held and cared for me don’t show their age at all.”

Terri Green, 64

Buddy Sims’ client

Nail design: Buddy Sims, creative director Tat’z Nail’z/instructor at College of Nail Design, Omaha, Neb.

“The other” Terri is a longtime client of Sims’. She has five children, 12 grandchildren, and “a lot of love to  share.”  “Having her nails manicured has been a great way for her to pamper herself,” says Sims. Terri’s personality exudes Old Hollywood grace and glamour, and Sims perfected this mid-century stained glass design just for her.

 

Penny Fish-Backens, 65

Buddy Sims’ client

Nail design: Buddy Sims, creative director Tat’z Nail’z/instructor at College of Nail Design, Omaha, Neb.

After raising children followed by 25 years of corporate work, Penny is nearly ready to retire. She can’t resist Sims’ abstract neon design for her long nails. “Penny is one of the most talented people I know,” Sims says. “She makes dolls, but these aren’t your grandma’s porcelain dolls! Her nails are an extension of her personal tastes and personality.”

Maria Guadalupe Avalos, 76

Fabian Robles’ grandmother

Nail design: Fabian Robles, Aqua Salon & Spa, Canoga Park, Calif.

“Mami Lupe was my second mother growing up,” says Robles. “She’d take me for walks every day when my mom was at work. If I grew tired, she or grandpa carried me.” Every chance he has, Robles does her nails. “She says I make her old hands feel young again,” he says.

Danalynn’s mom, 65

Danalynn Stockwood, Fun Fancy Nails, Genesis Salon, Fitchburg, Mass.

When Danalynn Stockwood’s father suffered a severe car accident in 1989, her mother drove the family every night to visit him in the hospital that was 40 minutes away, but still managed the home routine. “Home cooked meals, while watching “Jeopardy,” was our family ritual for nine months,” Stockwood remembers. “Her tenacity through this life-altering circumstance was remarkable. I am truly blessed to have her as my mom.”

Naomi Koshkin Friedman, 95

Athena Elliott’s client

Nail Design: Athena Elliott, founder/CEO Nail Talk Radio and SPAthena Salon, Houston

Athena Elliott has a special place in her heart for her older clients — and they love her right back. Naomi Koshkin Friedman was a homemaker and a businesswoman who has three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Getting her nails done makes her feel young and alive again. “She says that everyone at her retirement home is envious,” Elliott says. “Naomi puts it this way: ‘They don’t have the guts to express their inner artistic side like me. Where I live they all talk about me. Let them talk.’ ”

 

Prat Messer, 87

Athena Elliott’s client

Nail Design: Athena Elliott, founder/CEO Nail Talk Radio and SPAthena Salon, Houston

Prat Messer was a statistical typist and is now a grandmother of three. Elliott introduced her to the joy of nail art a few months ago with a special Valentine’s Day design. She was so overjoyed she began “hanging out” in the lobby of her retirement home much more than she used to. “People were noticing my nails even in the elevator!”  she exclaimed.

 

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