Question

[CourtneyinTaylor]

I guess this is for the closeted to semi closeted.
My Wife and I have been talking about opening a nail salon that is GLBT Cd friendly. Offering a safe non judge mental place to get your pedicures and manicures.

So my question is If you had a place to go and didn't have to worry about what everyone else thought would you get your toes and hands done. We would offer the regular open area and a private for those truly nervous. you would be welcome dresses or in drab makes no difference to us would ya?

[Sherri CD]

I'd go.

[Vicky_Scot]

When are you opening..................what a great idea.

[Tracy_Victoria]

I guess this is for the closeted to semi closeted.
My Wife and I have been talking about opening a nail salon that is GLBT Cd friendly. Offering a safe non judge mental place to get your pedicures and manicures.

So my question is If you had a place to go and didn't have to worry about what everyone else thought would you get your toes and hands done. We would offer the regular open area and a private for those truly nervous. you would be welcome dresses or in drab makes no difference to us would ya?

Don't know about the US, but here in the UK, everything that opens seems to be a nail bar. I'm not trying to put down your idea, but it will be interesting to see how people view this. Some points I would raise are

1, Actually getting to the placed dressed.
2. Most nail bars in the UK would not blink at a man having his done.
3. I presume a Lot of TV's/CD's uses fails nails for ease.
4. Why pay to have your nails done, only to have to take it all off later
5. I do my own (which are now wrecked due to tiling!)

I hope you understand I'm trying to give you logical reason (maybe just mine) but being honest, I would have no reason to visit.

[Angie G]

Well I work every day and it wouldn't make sense for me to pay $25 for your services that would last a day or two. Sorry hun :hugs:
Angie

[Jilmac]

I guess this is for the closeted to semi closeted.
My Wife and I have been talking about opening a nail salon that is GLBT Cd friendly. Offering a safe non judge mental place to get your pedicures and manicures.

So my question is If you had a place to go and didn't have to worry about what everyone else thought would you get your toes and hands done. We would offer the regular open area and a private for those truly nervous. you would be welcome dresses or in drab makes no difference to us would ya?

A great idea Courtney. How about including ear piercing and makeovers? Then open a branch in Milwaukee,,,,LOL. Seriously though, I would patronize a place like that if one was available. Luv and:hugs: Jill

[mishelle379]

absolutely

[MAJESTYK]

I would, absolutely. When does it open and can you open a franchise here??

[JoAnnDallas]

Sounds like a great idea. IMHO, I have found that most nail salons are already GLBT friendly. When it is warmer outside, I go to my nail salon wearing Ladies Hanes t-shirt, shorts, open toe sandles with no socks and my Red toes showing. I get the full works, pedicue/manicue/fill/toe and nail polish/eyebrow waxed. I once asked my nail tech if she found it werid the way I was dressed, that I like to have my toes polished, that I have long acrylic nails and like to have nail polish on them. She said, "NO". She went on to say that her salon has many men that come in and get treatment like I do. I have not had any other customer complain and some even has made very positive comments to me.
Now if you were to also offer makeup, wig, and such sessions, and a place to change clothing, that would be great.

[CourtneyinTaylor]

Well I work every day and it wouldn't make sense for me to pay $25 for your services that would last a day or two. Sorry hun :hugs:
Angie

thats why the toes are a bigger thing because they can be hidden pretty easily

[jennifer ann]

i would go

[Dalece]

Wheres Taylor Micigan from Cleveland Ohio. And when are you open. I'd go

[erickka]

Sounds like a wonderful idea. Much luck to you. If I ever get up that way, I'll surely see you.

[Lotte L]

Why not! Here in Holland they give special courses how to use make-up for cd.

Lotte

[monalisa]

I'd go in a minute. Please offer full makeovers too and you will be rich beyond your dreams and make many girls very happy and pretty too.

[tamarav]

Sounds like a great idea!
I work in a friendly salon doing hair, makeup, permanent makeup, wigs, and whatever daily. I made up a flier with my picture and a whole article on CDing, transgender stuff, gayness, and all, welcoming all the communities to our salon, toally non-judgemental and pretty open to anything. I take the fliers to local gay clubs, straight clubs, damn near anywhere I go and pass them out or post them. I get a lot of clients that have seen my flier and drop by simply because we openly state that all are welcome. Coffee is free and the talk flows all day.

Believe me, the stylists and nail techs love every paying customer. I just love to talk and prance about but you get the drift. What a great place to go to. Get that thing started and let us all know where to go.

Your sis,

Tami

[Kayla_CD]

I think that sounds wonderful, and if you were to offer a whole array of services to all the gurls you'd be off and running.

[Nicole Erin]

Don't know about the US, but here in the UK, everything that opens seems to be a nail bar. I'm not trying to put down your idea, but it will be interesting to see how people view this. Some points I would raise are

1, Actually getting to the placed dressed. They could finish dressing in the private area?
2. Most nail bars in the UK would not blink at a man having his done. Often in the USA no one would mind either.
3. I presume a Lot of TV's/CD's uses fails nails for ease. Probably, real nails just don't last if someone works at all
4. Why pay to have your nails done, only to have to take it all off later I have a friend here who does sometimes just for the experience. I was on the phone with her the other day and she was telling me about a nail appointement she had to go to..
5. I do my own (which are now wrecked due to tiling!)

I hope you understand I'm trying to give you logical reason (maybe just mine) but being honest, I would have no reason to visit.

I think the only real concern would be how to market to gender folks without running off other customers. Altho in any salon, like said, people seldom bat an eye even if it is a man having femme things done.

Would I go? Yes, if I was into manicures/pedicures. I WOULD recommend such a place to my real life CD friends.

[Tamara Croft]

I think it's a great idea, you should do it :D You could expand if it works out, have photo shoot days, makeup days... the list is endless :bs: I know if I were in the US, I'd drag my Tam there :D hey... maybe you could hire me :heehee: (I'm a Beauty Therapist) I do nails (man, ped), massage, waxing, facials, eyebrows/lashes etc etc.. ;)

[christid66]

Count me in.....would you also do make up as well?

[sandra-leigh]

I go to all kinds of places and many people have seen me gender-bending or have recognized that I'm a guy in drag, and I have often openly shopped in drab for womens' clothes, so I am perhaps not your target audience.

For me, it would depend on how close to competitive your prices were. I am willing to pay a bit extra to support TG friendly businesses, but there is a limit. For example there is a local lingerie store owner who is a real bedrock of the TG community, but (for example) she charges retail plus markup for her relatively limited selection of wigs and she doesn't know wigs very well, so I end up going to a local business that charges retail and which does know something about wigs (and they've always been quite friendly to me.) If I wanted to end up looking through catalogs and ordering something in with little wig-specific service, I would order over the internet and save a bundle. Thus I'm willing to pay full retail rates for decent service instead of going to a discount little-service source, but I'm not willing to pay noticeably above-retail rates for average service just because the owners market to TG.

There are a couple of services in Canada, one store-front and one online, that are fairly well known for charging noticeably above market, counting on the fact that people who aren't comfortable going out in public to regular services will be willing to pay a premium for a reputation for privacy and TG-friendliness (and for not having to reveal themselves to a number of people because the places are "all-in-one".) Once TG people become a little more comfortable with themselves, they tend to stop patronizing those places.

I guess the above could perhaps be read as sounding slightly accusative or at least presumptive. :sad: Sorry, I don't mean it that way, but I felt it important to inject a little counter-balance into the unhesitatingly positive responses. TG friendly and privacy are worth extra, but be careful that your business model doesn't end up inherently losing customers who gain confidence by using your service and then say "Now that I am comfortable going out in public, I could go elsewhere for the same service and save a lot of money."

[voyagernails]

I would go in a New York minute, let me know when and where.
Mani's, Pedi's and makeovers in an understanding environment, count me in.

[renee k]

Hi Courtney,

I live in Canton, sign me up. I'll be right over.

Huggs, Renee

[MsJanGG]

Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!! with bells on I would be there with Michelle.. On her birthday I took her (in drab) for his/her first manicure... funny, I am wearing a wedding band as is he... the girl actually asked if we were married.. was very surprised that I would come in there with my husband. I think it sounds like a wonderful idea!!!

[celeste26]

Here in Oregon there are so many nail salons that one more just wouldn't make a difference most are TG friendly. Frankly I've been to a nail salon once in the last five years so no matter how much I thought it was a friendly place to go, you wouldn't make much profit from people like me.

However, if its what you really want to do it my not going shouldn't affect your choice since you'll be doing what you really want regardless. Good luck

[Amy Hepker]

You might offer a private room, but most would go just to have someplace to go.

[Sarah V]

Given the perameters you have described, I absolutly would become a customer of your salon! Sounds like a great idea. Hope you do it.

[O2B Barbara]

Sounds like I need to take a weekend trip to Michigan. Wish you the best in this adventure!

[TGMarla]

Sure, I'd go. I'm not so sure my wife would be real down with the idea, though. Anyway, I live in such a cultural mecca here that there is nothing at all that caters to the TG crowd at all. I know there was at least one place in Denver that does, or did, but that's only 450 miles away. Not sure about the Phoenix area. In any case, there's nothing here.

[erickka]

Hi, Courtney, Count me in too. Sounds teriffic to me.

[RobynGirl]

omg, count me in, I live near the New Hope-Philadelphia, Pa area and would love to go to a place like that. Now if I could find an eye glass place too that would be awesome.

Good luck,

RobynGirl