A Penchant for Perfection: Profile of A Perfect Ten Nail Salon

Some ideas are so simple they hit you at the dinner table. That’s what happened to Larry and Nancy Bergere one night about four years ago. They were eating dinner and discussing their jobs - he about this work in the retail carpet business, and she about doing nails. Suddenly it dawned on them: Why not open a business of their own?

So in June 1988, Larry and Nancy Bergere opened the doors of A Perfect Ten Nail Salon, nestled in the Hudson Valley in Wappingers Falls, New York. The Bergeres’ salon represented a lot more than just a good idea translated into reality. The salon’s opening was the result of countless hours spent molding and refining their concept of what the ideal nail salon should offer. What they ended up with was a hit.

New York is one of only six remaining states that do not require nail technicians to be licensed. Since there are no standards and no guidelines regulating the industry in these states, the quality of nail care can vary wildly from one salon to the next. And the proliferation of inexperienced technicians without any formal training has given nail care in these states a bad rap. The Bergeres wanted to change all that.

“The nail care industry in Dutchess County was helter-skelter at the time we opened our salon,” says Larry Bergere, 56, “We decided to set a standard for nails in the county.” According to Bergere, other salons operating in the area were primarily in the business of doing hair “and nails were an afterthought.”

The Bergeres had heard their share of horror stories about “lemonade-stand” technicians and they worked aggressively on a detailed plan to improve on a detailed plan to improve the image of nail care -starting with their salon. Offering all phases of nail care, pedicures, training, body waxing, and facials, the Bergeres knew A Perfect Ten would shine in contrast to the competition. They just never knew how brightly.

THE ROUTE TO SUCCESS STARTED WITH CLEANING

                 First on their list of priorities for the salon was cleanliness. In the Bergeres’ mind, cleanliness is the most important element missing from many salons operation in New York. Because some customers have been scared off by tales of shoddy nail jobs elsewhere, Bergere is the first one to tout his salon’s strict rules about cleanliness. In training, nail technicians are taught to sanitize work-stations before and after each client, and the technician and client wash their hands before every service. Bergere is so meticulous about salon cleanliness that the bathrooms are cleaned every hour, on the hour. So naturally, it’s an understatement when Bergere says with a laugh, “We’re really into cleanliness.”

              All the better for A Perfect Ten’s customers who, according to Bergere, are fairly knowledgeable about the nail care industry.

The Bergeres also decided they would mandate an intense, three-week training program for all their nail technicians to ensure that every employee at A Perfect Ten practiced the same techniques in the same way. Having an extensive nails background, Nancy, 34, spearheaded the training program.

Industry experience isn’t a perquisite for being hired at A Perfect Ten. In fact, Bergere says he and his wife prefer trainees who have little or no experience - this way, they haven’t picked up any bad habits along the way. Today, all prospective nail technicians must pass a training course to become an employee. Training costs the prospective technician nothing, but they are asked to sign a service contract with the salon.

A Perfect Ten’s comprehensive training program covers salon hygiene, sanitation procedures knowledge of nail disorders, basic manicures, pedicures, and sculptured nails. During the training period, Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays are spent learning and doing hands-on exercises eight hours a day. The remainder of the week, trainees are required to bring in models to practice on. Written tests are given daily. Though the Bergeres don’t encourage technicians to rush jobs, they do insist technicians  be able to do a quality manicure in a standard amount of time. The last part of training focuses on selling retail products.

A Perfect Ten retails 110 polish colors, ridge filler, hand cream, top coat, files, and nail hardener. Besides the extensive palette of nail polishes, Bergere is proud to offer the largest in-stock selection of 14-karat gold nail charms in Dutchess County - a sizable portion of A Perfect Ten’s business. Bergere attributes 10% of the salon’s sales to its retail products, and though he says he’d like this aspect of the business to be even more profitable, he still believes that the idea behind selling is to cater to customers’ needs.

“What we try do is overwhelm the customer with service, professionalism, and a great set of nails,” says Bergere.

STAYING INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY

With clients who are hip to the latest technology, it’s paramount for technicians to know as much as they can about what’s new and different. To stay abreast of changes in the industry, A Perfect Ten belongs to the National Nail Technicians Group and subscribes to all the trade publications. The Bergeres attend trade shows regularly, after which Nancy holds workshops in the salon so the technicians benefit from the knowledge she brings back with her. “We never see people from other salons at trade shows,” says Bergere. “I don’t know where they get their knowledge.”

Doing sculptured nails is one example Bergere gives of a service A Perfect Ten does better than others. “When we decided to open the salon, a sculptured nail (in this region) meant gluing a tip on and putting an acrylic overlay on top. That’s not a sculptured nail. The clients here were amazed at what a true sculptured nail is, how long they stay on, and how natural they look. That’s been the mainstay of our business, “says Berger seventy-five percent to be exact.

Nail art is another service technicians at A Perfect Ten excel at. Bergere is proud of the fact that every bit of nail art that leaves the salon is hand painted. And if a customer wants a “penguin, lion’s head, or snoopy on skis in the winter time” and a new technician doesn’t feel confident enough to do it, a more experienced technician can step in. Bergere says it’s this camaraderie and team spirit that make the salon a nice place to work.

Located in a strip mall with ample storefront parking, A Perfect Ten Faces the main thorough-fare in Dutchess County. With a good sign and a little advertising, the salon manages to bring in upwards of 90 customers a day regularly. Newspaper ads run weekly and on holidays, and Bergere has been known to do radio spots to promote the salon. A Perfect Ten attracts customers one of three ways, according to Berger: referrals, drive-bys, or advertising. How does he know for sure what motivates someone to visit the salon? He keeps a client profile on each new customer who walks through the door. And as if that weren’t enough, colored client cards tell him exactly when a customer came in; he uses a different color card each month.

AN ENTERTAINING ATMOSPHERE

Great nails are one thing, but a lively salon interior is another way the Bergeres keep their clients and employees smiling. Larry is a confessed movie trivia buff, no secret to anyone who’s been inside A Perfect ten. Framed movie posters grace the walls - you’re bound to be inspired when you’ve got Marilyn Monroe and Ingrid Bergman watching you do a set of nails. There are posters from the great Broadway musicals. From “Phantom of the Opera” to “Les Miserables” to “Miss Saigon,” Bergere loves them all, and he’s even devoted a special section of the salon to displaying old playbills. Bergere loves the glamour of it all. “We are in the beauty business,” says Bergere. “We can never forget that.”

With a mauve and white color scheme, wicker, and platinum décor lush with greenery and a beverage bar, customers enjoy the having their nails done. Though the majority of A Perfect Ten’s customers are working women, “our customers range from 16 to 70,” says Bergere. “We have ladies who come in on walkers.”

In addition to training all potential nail technicians, Nancy is currently the salon’s senior nail technician; Larry acts as the receptionist and manger. Together, they have some big plans for the future.

When the salon opened in 1988, it employed six technicians. A year and a half later, the Bergeres bought the store next door, knocked out a few walls, and expanded the business. Today, 12 full-time nail technicians work at A Perfect Ten, and there’s room for 14. Hiring two more employees, however, is not where the Bergere’ dream ends. The couple would like to open another salon in the next two years, perhaps across the Hudson River, and duplicate the success they have enjoyed with A Perfect Ten.

Seasoned veterans in the nail industry now, they know how much work and planning such venture requires, so they’re going forward with their plans  cautiously  – as good businesspeople know how to do. It’ll be easier this time, though, because the Bergeres have blueprints that have worked before. In just three years, A Perfect Ten has doubled in size, and there’s no reason why it can’t triple in another three. And to think it all began over Beef Stroganoff.