“I do all 10 nails for a little less because it’s great advertising,” explains nail artist Judy Franck. “A continuous design across all nails is more eye-catching than just one or two nails. People always ask my clients who did their nails.” For a nail art design that takes an hour, Franck charges what she would for a fill.

Apparently her strategy is working. “I turn people away all the time. I don’t have a waiting list because people never leave; they become like family. It’s nice to be that popular,” she says.

Part of Franck’s popularity is also due to her accommodating schedule. She’s at work by 5 a.m. to set up. This isn’t quite as bad as it sounds since her salon, California Nails, is just downstairs in her St. Charles, III., home. She prepares refreshments for the day since, she says, people expect that more in a home environment.

Franck’s first appointment is at 6 a.m. and she works until 9 p.m., four days a week. Most clients get a fill and then nail art, so appointments usually last two hours. “It’s hard for clients to sit still for that long. They know they can’t squirm while I’m using my fine-point brush,” says Franck.

She often does designs to complement a client’s clothing or skin type. After 17 years in the nail business, Franck says she can copy just about anything she sees.

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