When sophomore Harper Giery started her nail business, it was first about feeding into her creativity, but after almost two years of doing nails, she discovered a true passion.
In the beginning, Giery started watching TikTok videos of people embodying their creativity through nail designs, which led Giery to pursue a passion for designing and doing nails.
“They were bad at first, but I slowly started to get better, and I enjoyed doing them,” Giery said.
Through TikToks and YouTube videos, Giery took her skills from beginner to intermediate to advanced.
“When I look back on my first-ever sets, and I’m like, ‘how did my friends ever let me do that on them?’” Giery said.
In eighth grade, Giery started doing other people’s nails. She had to fund her supplies, so she asked her parents to help, and they happily agreed.
“They’re actually pretty supportive of it,” Giery said. “Both my parents want me to go to cosmetology school.”
After getting her business started, she now provides for her supplies by herself. Her interest started when Giery’s passion for creative body art started with people online and noticed that a less permanent option is nails, so she started on her friends.
“It’s just another way of expressing my creativity and I love sharing it with people,” Giery said.
Most of her clients are people she sees on a regular basis. She admires all of her work, especially when she sees people love it as much as her or more.
“[I love] seeing someone’s nails [that I did] and seeing them every day,” Giery said.
Giery has experienced many complications when learning how to do nails. She did not know how to use chemicals and properly clean up. She ruined her AirPods with the use of acetone and gave herself contact dermatitis. But now she has found out how to use the correct safety precautions.
“But of course, with trial and error, I gained experience,” said Giery.
She has expanded her knowledge and is now very perceptive with these chemicals. Now Giery knows how to properly sanitize and is very experienced with anything that comes her way.
“She has clearly been doing this for a long time, and you can tell because the designs are really good,” sophomore Maddie Patton said.
Giery has done Patton’s nails many times. She loves the comfort Giery’s home salon offers, especially due to the fact that it is in a private spot in her own home, with many describing it as having a cozy feeling. The difference between Giery’s salon versus other nail salons is that she cares for her clients and can relate to them because of her similar age.
“I just understand wanting to have your nails done. I’m also the same age as most of the girls,” Giery said.
Photo courtesy of Harper Giery
Right now, her favorite nail designs are polka dots and anything funky and unique. She loves experimenting with new designs and loves it when people are creative and show her something she has never seen before.
“I charge $30-40 a set, it doesn’t matter what design, and an extra $10 for a soak off,” Giery said.
Her prices are lower than most salons; according to Style Set, acrylic nails can run between 25 and 120 dollars.
Giery is only just starting her adventure in nails and she hopes to have a future in cosmetology school where she will expand her skills and become more advanced. She also hopes to start her own business of practicing nails.
“I want to go to cosmetology school and also go to college for business and get a degree in business so I can start my own business,” Giery said.
