Today we’d like to introduce you to Marina Selverian.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Marina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have been taking care of people’s hands and feet for over 30 years. I got my start in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After graduating from beauty school, I took a job working for a beauty salon called Pierre Carlo, a very chic and well-known salon in the Philadelphia area. I worked for them for nine years, developing my skills and growing my client base. With my loyal clients’ encouragement and support, I then took the next step in my career and opened my own salon. It was then called Polished Spa and Boutique by Marina and it was located in one of the more prestigious areas in town. My spa/nail salon grew to be known as “the Ladies Club” because I had so many career women as clients. Within the Philadelphia area and even as far north as New York, this exclusive group of women networked and spread the word of my salon, something I couldn’t have accomplished even with advertising.
Within 14 years, I earned numerous awards, accolades and write ups regarding my salon. Some even surprised me from out of the area. It was truly a labor of love, friendship and the very best hair, nail and skincare around, long before Yelp and social media. I did it the old school way. Excellent service, care, value and true friendship. My spa was a one of a kind place for women (mostly) to get away and get beautiful and relax. How did a girl from uptown Philly end up in Orange County, in the Tustin area. I am a proud mother of a beautiful daughter and when my only child graduated from St. Joseph University and decided to take a job out west, her dad and I followed her here and settled in Irvine. It was a bittersweet ending, saying good by to my long time friends and clients, but I knew I could always start over.
After all, family is most important thing in my life. Once settled, I decided to start small and opened up Polished by Marina. I also decided I would only carry the very best products, which I worked with for years under a strict certification process. That is the exclusive line of Gehwol hand and foot care. I also decided to only use 7-free and 9-free polishes and gels, safer because they have the least amount of chemicals. I was told you’re crazy and the competition is fierce and no one knows who you are, but I didn’t care. I wanted to open a special nail salon where I could continue to give the best customer service with my medical grade pedicures and manicures and only use the very best products available in the nail industry. Plus, I am super insistent on nothing less than medically graded sterilization of all my nail equipment. That means it’s all disposable, only used once per person and then discarded. I discovered that there is a market for what I do compared with everyone else and that people are willing to pay a little bit more to have the best and most beautiful manicure and pedicure service. My polish skills are perfect and you can see the difference immediately. I always offer a special first-time client service so you can see the difference between what I do and everyone else.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Honestly, it has been a lot tougher to build my client base here in Orange County. First, there are so many nail salons and they are on practically every corner. The struggle for me has been how do I get people to find me and try my unique service? Once they come in, they’re a customer for life. It’s just getting them in the door.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Polished by Marina – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I specialize in medical grade pedicures and manicures and I consider myself to be a nail doctor, both in care and looks. I am known for the Gehwol line of hand and foot care products and as one of very few in Orange County to carry the line. I am also known for using the safest and best polishes and gels available on the market.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Getting as many people in my chair to try what will be the very best manicure and or pedicure they’ve ever had. Ideally, I’d like to outgrow my current space.
Contact Info:
- Address: Sola Salon Studios
1218 Irvine Blvd, Suite 12,
Tustin, CA 92780 - Website: www.polishedbymarina.com
- Phone: 215-266-9986
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: polishedbymarinaoc
- Facebook: polishedbymarinaoc
- Yelp: Polished by Marina OC
Image Credit:
Taken by Marina’s husband
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