Business continued to boom, so the Krakaloviches opened a second location. But after a couple of years, they realized they had bitten off more than they could chew, so they closed the original Nail Shoppe. “We jumped into the purchase of the second salon blindly,” says Debbie. “We didn’t know what it would take to run both salons successfully.” They regrouped and eventually reopened another location. Then, in 1996 a third Nail Shoppe was born.
To gain a better insight into the U.S. nail industry, Krakalovich and her husband drove to Las Vegas last November and stayed for a month. “I wanted to visit salons to see what’s new, and since Las Vegas is continually growing, I was curious to sees how the growth was affecting the nail market, especially competition with discount salons,” she says. Since the Canadian nail industry is a couple of years behind the U.S., it was almost like having a crystal ball, she says. “I got some clues about what trends to expect, such as a shift to more natural nail services.”
In response to the increased competition, many of Las Vegas’ moderate-to high-priced salons are trying to include something unique in their nail services and to market that uniqueness, says Debbie. “To stay competitive, I also think your customer service needs to be exceptional,” says the successful salon owner who definitely practices what she preaches.