Today we’d like to introduce you to Kierstin Gipson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kierstin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Nails & beauty has always been a passion of mine. I would change my nail color everyday in grade school to match my outfits. All my girlfriends at school would line up after school on the bleachers to get their nails painted by me. I offered nearly 10 color options, including glitter, and charged $3-5 dollars for a buff and polish. I had a lunch box where I kept all my profits, polishes & supplies. This inspired me & I began to get fancy, creating nail art & buying stickers from the local store, to add some personal style to my friend’s nails. My nail pop up shop on the bleachers began to grow fast. Once word got around, the actual principle of our school had to have a one on one with me, informing me that I had to close up shop. Parents weren’t so happy that their children were saving up their lunch money to spend on their nails after school. That was the end of that, and soon after I went on to selling candy, yo-yos and pretty pencils & erasers. This too unfortunately ended once word got out.
Growing up nails dates with my mom were mandatory, so much that they became tradition. We started Inviting friends of ours to join us on our Nail dates & we would always bring a bottle of champagne to pop & sip over mani pedi’s. My Mother & I would travel all over Los Angeles trying out all the different nail salons until we found our favorite one. Truth is, we never really found THEE ONE; they were all missing a few things. My mom & I would jokingly say, “we need to create our own, it would be so nice!” In 2013 I was 2 years into my real estate career. I was the youngest in my office and thought I was number one in my office, I wasn’t truly happy. For a very long time I knew I wanted to create my own business. I loved beauty, fashion and lifestyle…those were the things that really interest me. During my real estate career, when I had free time at the office I would master mind and brain storm every chance I got. I had many ideas, for phone apps, stores, fashion, nails, beauty and more. I just did not know how or what to act on.
One day after calling my mom crying hysterically about one of the guys in my office stealing a lead from me… my mom said to me, “Kierstin, this is a sign, you need to do your own thing. And, the time is now.” About two months later, I was let go from the company after standing up for myself one too many times when the guys would bully us girls for leads and deals. It was a cut-throat office, to say the least. I thought to myself omg what am I going to do now?! Within a year I Partnered with my Mother and We opened NAILD LA in Culver City, just 5 minutes from my nail pop up in the bleachers back in 3rd grade. Word got around, and this time the principle couldn’t shut our shop down!
Within the first three months, business started booming! People loved us! NAILD LA was something new, refreshing and a big blessing to us & the neighborhood. It’s different from the traditional nail salons around the area. It’s airy and open, welcoming and clean! Instead of the traditional nail/hand pics on the wall, we opted for inspirational quotes on the walls, to help motivate and Inspire all our guests. Instead of watching the news like usual at the nail salon, we created such a cool music play list, with some oldies and goodies that everyone could enjoy. We took some ideas from the 8-year-old me and kept things simple with just a good ole manicure and pedicure and lots of amazing colors to choose from.
We topped things off with Champagne of course! So, all our guests get to make it a date with their girlfriends, boyfriends and family and sip over mani and pedis. NAILD LA has inspired me to tap back into my passion for fashion, and well, that’s coming soon!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning A business is not easy! I have had to sacrifice a lot of things, like having a social life! Lol. And sleep? What’s sleep? For two years I was at NAILD LA nearly every single day, and even when I stepped away, I was answering and responding to appointment request. I not only manage the shop I perform services as well. It was so hard finding a good solid team! That has probably been by far the most challenging part. Because I can’t do the nails all by myself! Managing different Personalities, dealing with my own personal life. Having new situations thrown your way everyday many of which you have no idea on exactly what the right answer is, but you handle it like a boss! Imagine that! I believe is great customer service and that has been a strong quality for me and my business.
Please tell us about NAILD LA.
NAILD LA came from us totally Nailing Los Angeles and the nail industry. We NAILD It! I am a Los Angeles native and I love everything about LA. And though LA may be very over the top, NAILD LA keeps it simple & to the point. We specialize in classic manicures and pedicures, gel nails, waxing & threading. If you want the 3-inch bedazzled, stiletto nails, this is not the place for you. NAILD LA is for those who enjoy the simple things in life and, a good mani pedi polished to perfection. What sets us apart from others is our entire style, quality of our work and our customer service. Our teams truly care to have each and every single person who leaves, feel better than they did when they entered… whether it’s the feeling of inspiration, motivation, calm, at peace, and or the feeling of fabulous! We pride ourselves on self-love and spreading that energy to everyone who enters NAILD LA.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My little brother being born has to be one of my most favorite childhood memories. Being the only child, I was always hoping for a sibling. My aunt had 5 children, I use to love when my cousins came over, they were my sisters and brothers! I was 10 when I met my baby brother for the first time. We were at my little cousin’s football game at Hamilton high school. I remember looking over at him and pulling the cover down, like omg let me see him!
Pricing:
- Gel manicure $35
- Manicure & Pedicure $36
- Threading $10
Contact Info:
- Address: 6281 Bristol parkway culver city ca 90230
- Website: Www.NAILDLA.com
- Phone: 310-270-2821
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: NAILD_LA
- Facebook: NAILD_LA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/naild-la-culver-city
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
