<p><strong>Maggie&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:</strong> &ldquo;The scrapbooking section at the local craft stores is a life saver!&rdquo; says Franklin. &ldquo;I like these little acrylic boxes that hold small jars for my rhinestones, clay cane slices, bits and pieces, and various doodads.&rdquo; Franklin says the small jars work well for glitter because the grooves for the lids have too much space and the glitter gets into the grooves, escapes the jars, and &ldquo;makes a big mess.&rdquo;</p>

Maggie’s Storage Solutions: “The scrapbooking section at the local craft stores is a life saver!” says Franklin. “I like these little acrylic boxes that hold small jars for my rhinestones, clay cane slices, bits and pieces, and various doodads.” Franklin says the small jars work well for glitter because the grooves for the lids have too much space and the glitter gets into the grooves, escapes the jars, and “makes a big mess.”

<p><strong>Samantha&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>This &ldquo;filling station&rdquo; stores supplies techs continually replenish; doors and drawers help keep things organized.</p>

Samantha’s Storage Solutions: This “filling station” stores supplies techs continually replenish; doors and drawers help keep things organized.

<p><strong>Samantha&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>Covered glass jars store files and buffers out of the way and keep dust and debris off unused supplies. The containers keep product accessible and attractively stored.</p>

Samantha’s Storage Solutions: Covered glass jars store files and buffers out of the way and keep dust and debris off unused supplies. The containers keep product accessible and attractively stored.

<p><strong>Samantha&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>Hanby designed a built-in drawer unit to organize all her polish supplies. The depth of the drawers is perfect for easy visibility. When the drawers close, supplies are covered and the area is tidy and uncluttered.</p>

Samantha’s Storage Solutions: Hanby designed a built-in drawer unit to organize all her polish supplies. The depth of the drawers is perfect for easy visibility. When the drawers close, supplies are covered and the area is tidy and uncluttered.

<p><strong>G&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>&ldquo;My husband works with neon, and he created these two wall units as a way for me to view all my supplies, with everything looking organized and attractive. The units are made from sheet metal. I buy heavy-duty magnets from the craft store, rough up the lids and affix the magnets to them with hot glue. (Make sure you get the 40%-50% off coupons for the craft stores!) For these, I don&rsquo;t purchase the acrylic containers from craft stores. If they fall, they&rsquo;ll crack. I find a wholesale place to purchase the containers so the quality is better.&rdquo;</p>

G’s Storage Solutions: “My husband works with neon, and he created these two wall units as a way for me to view all my supplies, with everything looking organized and attractive. The units are made from sheet metal. I buy heavy-duty magnets from the craft store, rough up the lids and affix the magnets to them with hot glue. (Make sure you get the 40%-50% off coupons for the craft stores!) For these, I don’t purchase the acrylic containers from craft stores. If they fall, they’ll crack. I find a wholesale place to purchase the containers so the quality is better.”

<p><strong>G&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>&ldquo;These are all standard polish racks. I can stack the small acrylic containers three high on most all of the shelves, plus a little higher on the top shelf. On some of the bottles, I&rsquo;ve mixed a little dot of the color with the acrylic so clients can see the effect.&rdquo;</p>

G’s Storage Solutions: “These are all standard polish racks. I can stack the small acrylic containers three high on most all of the shelves, plus a little higher on the top shelf. On some of the bottles, I’ve mixed a little dot of the color with the acrylic so clients can see the effect.”

<p><strong>G&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:</strong> &ldquo;These toy car containers work well to display my glitter, and they&rsquo;re great for travel,&rdquo; says Elizondo. &ldquo;Just snap them together and you&rsquo;re ready to go.&rdquo; She found these at Walmart.</p>

G’s Storage Solutions: “These toy car containers work well to display my glitter, and they’re great for travel,” says Elizondo. “Just snap them together and you’re ready to go.” She found these at Walmart.

<p><strong>Colleen&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>&ldquo;I used to display polish on nail polish racks in the salon,&rdquo; says VanDurme, &ldquo;but the polishes&nbsp;started disappearing.&rdquo; Her solution? Paint all the colors on polish display boards for customers to view. VanDurme numbers each color, then labels each bottle. Finally, she puts them in numerical order in storage boxes. The label on the outside of the box tells her which numbers are in the box. The storage cabinet was purchased from Lowe&rsquo;s and boxes from Amazon, though Michaels craft store also sells them, and often on sale.</p>

Colleen’s Storage Solutions: “I used to display polish on nail polish racks in the salon,” says VanDurme, “but the polishes started disappearing.” Her solution? Paint all the colors on polish display boards for customers to view. VanDurme numbers each color, then labels each bottle. Finally, she puts them in numerical order in storage boxes. The label on the outside of the box tells her which numbers are in the box. The storage cabinet was purchased from Lowe’s and boxes from Amazon, though Michaels craft store also sells them, and often on sale.

<p><strong>Colleen&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>This is the inside of one of the drawers of the cubes. &ldquo;It came with the divider, which was handy for organizing and storing my ever-growing supply of gel-polishes,&rdquo; says VanDurme. The client chooses the number from a polish board; the tops of the bottles have corresponding numbers.</p>

Colleen’s Storage Solutions: This is the inside of one of the drawers of the cubes. “It came with the divider, which was handy for organizing and storing my ever-growing supply of gel-polishes,” says VanDurme. The client chooses the number from a polish board; the tops of the bottles have corresponding numbers.

<p><strong>Colleen&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>This unit is six individual square cubes, which VanDurme found in the scrapbooking section at Michaels craft store. They are stacked three on three.</p>

Colleen’s Storage Solutions: This unit is six individual square cubes, which VanDurme found in the scrapbooking section at Michaels craft store. They are stacked three on three.

<p><strong>Colleen&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>The husband of a client built this custom-designed table for VanDurme. &ldquo;I needed more storage on my nail table and I really wanted a locking door,&rdquo; she says. Inside the drawers and behind the doors, product is organized in baskets.</p>

Colleen’s Storage Solutions: The husband of a client built this custom-designed table for VanDurme. “I needed more storage on my nail table and I really wanted a locking door,” she says. Inside the drawers and behind the doors, product is organized in baskets.

<p><strong>Colleen&rsquo;s Storage Solutions: <br /></strong>The husband of a client built this custom-designed table for VanDurme. &ldquo;I needed more storage on my nail table and I really wanted a locking door,&rdquo; she says. Inside the drawers and behind the doors, product is organized in baskets.</p>

Colleen’s Storage Solutions:
The husband of a client built this custom-designed table for VanDurme. “I needed more storage on my nail table and I really wanted a locking door,” she says. Inside the drawers and behind the doors, product is organized in baskets.

<p><strong>Elyse&rsquo;s Storage Solutions: <br /></strong>Perry uses wall cabinets to store extra supplies. The cabinet, which can be bought at any home-improvement retailer, saves floor space; plus, the doors keep shelving covered.</p>

Elyse’s Storage Solutions:
Perry uses wall cabinets to store extra supplies. The cabinet, which can be bought at any home-improvement retailer, saves floor space; plus, the doors keep shelving covered.

<p><strong>Elyse&rsquo;s Storage Solutions: <br /></strong>Matching organizers, like the ones pictured here, allow Perry to keep supplies tidy, handy, and attractive.</p>

Elyse’s Storage Solutions:
Matching organizers, like the ones pictured here, allow Perry to keep supplies tidy, handy, and attractive.

<p><strong>Camtu&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>Even the coffee area at Blossom stays organized with all extra supplies stored behind closed doors.</p>

Camtu’s Storage Solutions: Even the coffee area at Blossom stays organized with all extra supplies stored behind closed doors.

<p><strong>Camtu&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>All supplies at Blossom are concealed, making the entire salon aesthetically pleasing and organized. Instead of having baskets of exposed cuticle oil, acetone, cotton, and&nbsp;instruments (that could collect dust or look messy) Nguyen chose closed caddies for her storage. The pedi caddy shown here stores pedicure&nbsp;necessities; plus it doubles as a small table for the&nbsp;manicurist.</p>

Camtu’s Storage Solutions: All supplies at Blossom are concealed, making the entire salon aesthetically pleasing and organized. Instead of having baskets of exposed cuticle oil, acetone, cotton, and instruments (that could collect dust or look messy) Nguyen chose closed caddies for her storage. The pedi caddy shown here stores pedicure necessities; plus it doubles as a small table for the manicurist.

<p><strong>Camtu&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>All of the polishes at Blossom are displayed in wall frames that were built to save space and look beautiful.</p>

Camtu’s Storage Solutions: All of the polishes at Blossom are displayed in wall frames that were built to save space and look beautiful.

<p><strong>Camtu&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>These desks were designed by Nguyen and provide a space for the UV/LED lamps to be housed off the surface of the desk at a height convenient and comfortable for clients.</p>

Camtu’s Storage Solutions: These desks were designed by Nguyen and provide a space for the UV/LED lamps to be housed off the surface of the desk at a height convenient and comfortable for clients.

<p><strong>Annette&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>Calvillo keeps back-bar supplies in a closed storage cabinet and dispenses product into small, labeled bottles. She keeps the smaller bottles organized in the easily accessible drawers of this storage caddy. She has a duplicate setup at the pedicure station.</p>

Annette’s Storage Solutions: Calvillo keeps back-bar supplies in a closed storage cabinet and dispenses product into small, labeled bottles. She keeps the smaller bottles organized in the easily accessible drawers of this storage caddy. She has a duplicate setup at the pedicure station.

<p><strong>Annette&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>Other supplies, such as files, buffers, and art goodies, are stored in covered plastic containers, which are labeled for easy identification, and also stored in the closed cabinet.</p>

Annette’s Storage Solutions: Other supplies, such as files, buffers, and art goodies, are stored in covered plastic containers, which are labeled for easy identification, and also stored in the closed cabinet.

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<p><strong>Maggie&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:</strong> &ldquo;The scrapbooking section at the local craft stores is a life saver!&rdquo; says Franklin. &ldquo;I like these little acrylic boxes that hold small jars for my rhinestones, clay cane slices, bits and pieces, and various doodads.&rdquo; Franklin says the small jars work well for glitter because the grooves for the lids have too much space and the glitter gets into the grooves, escapes the jars, and &ldquo;makes a big mess.&rdquo;</p>
1/20
 
Slider

Maggie’s Storage Solutions: “The scrapbooking section at the local craft stores is a life saver!” says Franklin. “I like these little acrylic boxes that hold small jars for my rhinestones, clay cane slices, bits and pieces, and various doodads.” Franklin says the small jars work well for glitter because the grooves for the lids have too much space and the glitter gets into the grooves, escapes the jars, and “makes a big mess.”

<p><strong>Samantha&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>This &ldquo;filling station&rdquo; stores supplies techs continually replenish; doors and drawers help keep things organized.</p>
2/20
 
Slider

Samantha’s Storage Solutions: This “filling station” stores supplies techs continually replenish; doors and drawers help keep things organized.

<p><strong>Samantha&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>Covered glass jars store files and buffers out of the way and keep dust and debris off unused supplies. The containers keep product accessible and attractively stored.</p>
3/20
 
Slider

Samantha’s Storage Solutions: Covered glass jars store files and buffers out of the way and keep dust and debris off unused supplies. The containers keep product accessible and attractively stored.

<p><strong>Samantha&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>Hanby designed a built-in drawer unit to organize all her polish supplies. The depth of the drawers is perfect for easy visibility. When the drawers close, supplies are covered and the area is tidy and uncluttered.</p>
4/20
 
Slider

Samantha’s Storage Solutions: Hanby designed a built-in drawer unit to organize all her polish supplies. The depth of the drawers is perfect for easy visibility. When the drawers close, supplies are covered and the area is tidy and uncluttered.

<p><strong>G&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>&ldquo;My husband works with neon, and he created these two wall units as a way for me to view all my supplies, with everything looking organized and attractive. The units are made from sheet metal. I buy heavy-duty magnets from the craft store, rough up the lids and affix the magnets to them with hot glue. (Make sure you get the 40%-50% off coupons for the craft stores!) For these, I don&rsquo;t purchase the acrylic containers from craft stores. If they fall, they&rsquo;ll crack. I find a wholesale place to purchase the containers so the quality is better.&rdquo;</p>
5/20
 
Slider

G’s Storage Solutions: “My husband works with neon, and he created these two wall units as a way for me to view all my supplies, with everything looking organized and attractive. The units are made from sheet metal. I buy heavy-duty magnets from the craft store, rough up the lids and affix the magnets to them with hot glue. (Make sure you get the 40%-50% off coupons for the craft stores!) For these, I don’t purchase the acrylic containers from craft stores. If they fall, they’ll crack. I find a wholesale place to purchase the containers so the quality is better.”

<p><strong>G&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>&ldquo;These are all standard polish racks. I can stack the small acrylic containers three high on most all of the shelves, plus a little higher on the top shelf. On some of the bottles, I&rsquo;ve mixed a little dot of the color with the acrylic so clients can see the effect.&rdquo;</p>
6/20
 
Slider

G’s Storage Solutions: “These are all standard polish racks. I can stack the small acrylic containers three high on most all of the shelves, plus a little higher on the top shelf. On some of the bottles, I’ve mixed a little dot of the color with the acrylic so clients can see the effect.”

<p><strong>G&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:</strong> &ldquo;These toy car containers work well to display my glitter, and they&rsquo;re great for travel,&rdquo; says Elizondo. &ldquo;Just snap them together and you&rsquo;re ready to go.&rdquo; She found these at Walmart.</p>
7/20
 
Slider

G’s Storage Solutions: “These toy car containers work well to display my glitter, and they’re great for travel,” says Elizondo. “Just snap them together and you’re ready to go.” She found these at Walmart.

<p><strong>Colleen&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>&ldquo;I used to display polish on nail polish racks in the salon,&rdquo; says VanDurme, &ldquo;but the polishes&nbsp;started disappearing.&rdquo; Her solution? Paint all the colors on polish display boards for customers to view. VanDurme numbers each color, then labels each bottle. Finally, she puts them in numerical order in storage boxes. The label on the outside of the box tells her which numbers are in the box. The storage cabinet was purchased from Lowe&rsquo;s and boxes from Amazon, though Michaels craft store also sells them, and often on sale.</p>
8/20
 
Slider

Colleen’s Storage Solutions: “I used to display polish on nail polish racks in the salon,” says VanDurme, “but the polishes started disappearing.” Her solution? Paint all the colors on polish display boards for customers to view. VanDurme numbers each color, then labels each bottle. Finally, she puts them in numerical order in storage boxes. The label on the outside of the box tells her which numbers are in the box. The storage cabinet was purchased from Lowe’s and boxes from Amazon, though Michaels craft store also sells them, and often on sale.

<p><strong>Colleen&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>This is the inside of one of the drawers of the cubes. &ldquo;It came with the divider, which was handy for organizing and storing my ever-growing supply of gel-polishes,&rdquo; says VanDurme. The client chooses the number from a polish board; the tops of the bottles have corresponding numbers.</p>
9/20
 
Slider

Colleen’s Storage Solutions: This is the inside of one of the drawers of the cubes. “It came with the divider, which was handy for organizing and storing my ever-growing supply of gel-polishes,” says VanDurme. The client chooses the number from a polish board; the tops of the bottles have corresponding numbers.

<p><strong>Colleen&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>This unit is six individual square cubes, which VanDurme found in the scrapbooking section at Michaels craft store. They are stacked three on three.</p>
10/20
 
Slider

Colleen’s Storage Solutions: This unit is six individual square cubes, which VanDurme found in the scrapbooking section at Michaels craft store. They are stacked three on three.

<p><strong>Colleen&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>The husband of a client built this custom-designed table for VanDurme. &ldquo;I needed more storage on my nail table and I really wanted a locking door,&rdquo; she says. Inside the drawers and behind the doors, product is organized in baskets.</p>
11/20
 
Slider

Colleen’s Storage Solutions: The husband of a client built this custom-designed table for VanDurme. “I needed more storage on my nail table and I really wanted a locking door,” she says. Inside the drawers and behind the doors, product is organized in baskets.

<p><strong>Colleen&rsquo;s Storage Solutions: <br /></strong>The husband of a client built this custom-designed table for VanDurme. &ldquo;I needed more storage on my nail table and I really wanted a locking door,&rdquo; she says. Inside the drawers and behind the doors, product is organized in baskets.</p>
12/20
 
Slider

Colleen’s Storage Solutions:
The husband of a client built this custom-designed table for VanDurme. “I needed more storage on my nail table and I really wanted a locking door,” she says. Inside the drawers and behind the doors, product is organized in baskets.

<p><strong>Elyse&rsquo;s Storage Solutions: <br /></strong>Perry uses wall cabinets to store extra supplies. The cabinet, which can be bought at any home-improvement retailer, saves floor space; plus, the doors keep shelving covered.</p>
13/20
 
Slider

Elyse’s Storage Solutions:
Perry uses wall cabinets to store extra supplies. The cabinet, which can be bought at any home-improvement retailer, saves floor space; plus, the doors keep shelving covered.

<p><strong>Elyse&rsquo;s Storage Solutions: <br /></strong>Matching organizers, like the ones pictured here, allow Perry to keep supplies tidy, handy, and attractive.</p>
14/20
 
Slider

Elyse’s Storage Solutions:
Matching organizers, like the ones pictured here, allow Perry to keep supplies tidy, handy, and attractive.

<p><strong>Camtu&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>Even the coffee area at Blossom stays organized with all extra supplies stored behind closed doors.</p>
15/20
 
Slider

Camtu’s Storage Solutions: Even the coffee area at Blossom stays organized with all extra supplies stored behind closed doors.

<p><strong>Camtu&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>All supplies at Blossom are concealed, making the entire salon aesthetically pleasing and organized. Instead of having baskets of exposed cuticle oil, acetone, cotton, and&nbsp;instruments (that could collect dust or look messy) Nguyen chose closed caddies for her storage. The pedi caddy shown here stores pedicure&nbsp;necessities; plus it doubles as a small table for the&nbsp;manicurist.</p>
16/20
 
Slider

Camtu’s Storage Solutions: All supplies at Blossom are concealed, making the entire salon aesthetically pleasing and organized. Instead of having baskets of exposed cuticle oil, acetone, cotton, and instruments (that could collect dust or look messy) Nguyen chose closed caddies for her storage. The pedi caddy shown here stores pedicure necessities; plus it doubles as a small table for the manicurist.

<p><strong>Camtu&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>All of the polishes at Blossom are displayed in wall frames that were built to save space and look beautiful.</p>
17/20
 
Slider

Camtu’s Storage Solutions: All of the polishes at Blossom are displayed in wall frames that were built to save space and look beautiful.

<p><strong>Camtu&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>These desks were designed by Nguyen and provide a space for the UV/LED lamps to be housed off the surface of the desk at a height convenient and comfortable for clients.</p>
18/20
 
Slider

Camtu’s Storage Solutions: These desks were designed by Nguyen and provide a space for the UV/LED lamps to be housed off the surface of the desk at a height convenient and comfortable for clients.

<p><strong>Annette&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>Calvillo keeps back-bar supplies in a closed storage cabinet and dispenses product into small, labeled bottles. She keeps the smaller bottles organized in the easily accessible drawers of this storage caddy. She has a duplicate setup at the pedicure station.</p>
19/20
 
Slider

Annette’s Storage Solutions: Calvillo keeps back-bar supplies in a closed storage cabinet and dispenses product into small, labeled bottles. She keeps the smaller bottles organized in the easily accessible drawers of this storage caddy. She has a duplicate setup at the pedicure station.

<p><strong>Annette&rsquo;s Storage Solutions:&nbsp;</strong>Other supplies, such as files, buffers, and art goodies, are stored in covered plastic containers, which are labeled for easy identification, and also stored in the closed cabinet.</p>
20/20
 
Slider

Annette’s Storage Solutions: Other supplies, such as files, buffers, and art goodies, are stored in covered plastic containers, which are labeled for easy identification, and also stored in the closed cabinet.

Organization may not be your forte, but with these clever storage ideas, you’ll feel — and look — like a natural.


Special thanks to contributors to this story:

Maggie Franklin, owner of Art of Nailz, Visalia, Calif.
G Elizondo, Bling Nails by G, inside Scandals Salon, Las Vegas
Samantha Hanby, owner of Polished Nail Salon, Yukon, Okla.
Colleen VanDurme, Nails By Colleen, Dansville, N.Y.
Elysium Perry, Elysium Nail Studio, Sumner, Wash.
Camtu Nguyen, owner of Blossom Beauty Lounge, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Annette Calvillo, owner of Fill 413 Nail Studio, Cedarburg, Wis.

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