Charlton’s Salon

MEMPHIS, TENN. - One balmy day last spring, I may have finally learned my lesson. It was the kind of humid day you can only love if your are from the South (which I am). There we were, six girls packed into one little car driving around Memphis looking for someplace to get our nails done. You see, I was in town for my friend Kali’s wedding and we had been busy all week fixing up the farm where she was getting married. We made the mistake of waiting until the day before the wedding to make our nail appointments, and that day just happened to be Good Friday - and did I mentioned we were in the South?

Easter weekend in Memphis is a grand affair. We were, in fact, on your way to a traditional lady’s lunch hosted by the bride’s family in Germantown, an affluent suburb of Memphis. Every salon we called or stopped by was packed. Who were we kidding thinking all six of us would be able to walk in for manis and pedis? Thoughts of laughter and mimosas while we all relaxed and got pampered quickly faded.

But then we found a stretch of road that looked promising. We stopped at full-service salon named Charlton’s and they had room for one manicure. At least the bride could get her nails done. So Kali and I got out here while the rest of the girls drove  up the road on the recommendation of someone at the salon for a nails-only salon that took walk-ins. You can’t let the bride have raggedy nails on her big day so I sat back and chatted with Jenni Osborne, one of four nail techs who rent space at Charlton’s. A nail tech for seven years, Jenni manicured and polished Kali’s nails to pale pink perfection while i gossiped with her about the newest spring polish collections and other nail-related issues. The salon was bustling on this lovely Good Friday. All the Southern ladies were there getting their hair and nails done for the holiday weekend. The one pedicure throne was occupied as well. (I’m sure they all had appointments weeks in advance.)

It all worked out in the end. We found a great salon for Kali to be pampered in to help her de-stress and the rest of the girls found a nice place that could fit them all in quickly. My self, I polished my own nails later that night. Maybe now, I have finally learned my lesson.

The girls enjoyed a balmy Memphis afternoon eating tomato aspic, chicken salad, and some delicious cocktails (That’s me second from the right, and the bride fourth from left. 

This spring, my friend Kali got married in Memphis and I accompanied her to the nail salon for some last minute pampering. Nail tech Jenni Osborne was our savior, squeezing Kali in between two appointments.