Conversations with Melly Nguyen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melly Nguyen.

Hi Melly, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hello friends! I’m Melly Nguyễn aka owner/nail artist of Mainstream Nails! I’ve created a brand/name for myself since 2013 and opened up my very own nail salon in 2018. Between that time, I have worked in family nail salons and was so fortunate to learn the art of nails and business coherently. I started as a self-taught nail artist with a lot of dreams to one day be a part of something that speaks me. I’ve been nominated twice for Nail Professional of the year, attended to a handful of beauty conventions, and traveled around the world to bring home the latest nail products. I can definitely say I’m a very energetic person, a social butterfly, and a creative individual. I show my love language through acts of service. Making people happy and giving them my all has always been my mission. That’s when I realized I was on to bigger dreams in building an environment that was fun, trendy and so Melly! ❤️

This year hits three years for MNSTRM and wow, how time flies! I am so honored and grateful to say that this has been BEYOND REWARDING and every day has been a learning opportunity. Today, I can say I have built my empire from the ground up: utilizing every inch of it with handpicked, custom-made decor and salon furniture, implementing a safe and comfortable work environment with high-end ventilation and sanitary systems, providing the latest and greatest nail products, continuing education for our staff, posting consistently on multiple social platforms, and most importantly giving my MNSTRM family and clients by 110%! At the same time juggling back and forth as a business owner and nail artist. Not to mention that my wife (co-partner) does the other half!? (Paperwork is not my jam). 😅 But I honestly couldn’t have done this without my supporters, team, clients, and wife. They have truly made me who I am today. I love you all! 🙏

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a small business owner, you don’t realize struggles until it has truly has happened. I never thought to prepare for a global pandemic or knew a virus could have so much control over our future plans. I just never would think in a million years that my team and I would ever have to file for unemployment. There was no Plan B, let alone a Plan A, for that matter. I was so lost and definitely took a hard right hook from COVID. With the luxury of us being salon-based and knowing we are fully booked for months out showed job security. I would say the most hardest thing was canceling all of our clients who have booked months out and not knowing a re-opening date. Most of these clients rely on our services and we couldn’t help them. Everything was up in the air

I spent lots of my time reaching out to companies to requests to defer my rent, bills, utilities for both my home and salon and tried to do my due diligence in applying in up to over a dozen federal, state and local loans, grants and programs. But on the bright side, even though we were stuck at home, there were always ways to support each other during the crisis. As a salon owner, you still have to keep that role in keeping your team and clients happy. I tried to stay very active on social media and posted helpful tutorials like “How to remove your acrylic nails” and “How to keep your natural nails healthy,” and I even did live Instagram chats with my team members and clients. I also joined a COVID-19 relief group with OPI professionals across the country and did a Podcast interview with Erica Cobb of “The Comeback To Mainstream Nails,” discussing our preparation for reopening. Was it easy? No. Did we learn a lot from it? Hell yes! It definitely was a life struggle but a life lesson.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
If you ever get the chance to go on Pinterest and search “stiletto nails,” “long nails,” or “Cardi B nails,” most likely, I’ve done some sort of set like it. I can say I either gain inspiration in other nail artists or from the client’s vibe/style. Regardless of whatever I do, I have always put my own personal twist to it. My motto is to “Let your work speak for itself,” and I contour to follow that. When I am passionate about something, I work really hard to study the art of it’s basic fundamentals to its detailed specifics and then structurally making it my own.

I have evolved throughout my career and consider myself an artist without the label of a specific genre. I have come a long way to see myself this way as I now wear many hats. I am an eclectic person with diverse interests, so my salon and work reflect that. For example, my every day consists of me running the front desk and back bar simultaneously while also being fully booked with my clients, managing the salon and ensuring our clients are happy. It’s a HUGE adrenaline rush for me, and it’s nonstop! There is always something I have to do, and I try to fit in as much in my day as I can. I LIVE for this type of environment and every min, day, month, or year, whether it was good or bad, it has always fueled to the ULTIMATE goal of accomplishment. I am becoming the better/wiser ME and I am really proud of it.

As I am a creature of habit, I love a routine and a set schedule. It allows me to stay consistent and keep my eyes on the prize. What’s my prize? GROWTH. Being eight years as a nail professional and now three years in the salon industry, I feel like my vision has always been the same and that is to BE FIERCE but STAY HUMBLE.

You can catch me with my 3 inch long daggers, not afraid to do any job in the salon and to create unique sets of nails. When I say unique, I mean like putting dried scorpions, hot Cheeto dust, mini sea horses or Oreo crumbs in your nails! It’s just how I roll. 😜

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Hmm, this is a tough one as I am practically an “open book” when you meet me. But most people are really are surprised when I tell them that I have a Bachelor’s degree. 😜 Before my nail venture, I graduated at UCD with a Bachelor’s in Biology and wanted to pursue Orthodontics. I was halfway in preparation for my placement test for dentistry school and decided to follow my heart and get more into nail artistry. My whole family mom, sister, aunties, cousins, are mostly nail artists, and they have owned several nail salons in Colorado. I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree? 🤷‍♀️

Contact Info:

• Email: Info@mainstreamnails.com
• Website: https://www.mainstreamnails.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mainstream_nails/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/mainstreamnails/

Image Credits
Dezz Dingcong Hien Nguyen