Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Bouchard and Kelly Lee.
Nicole and Kelly were born and raised in Kingston, MA. Both families knew each other going back generations. As a young girl, Nicole told her parents she wanted to be a hairstylist and have a hair salon someday. When Nicole started working at a young age, she made a name for herself starting by doing prom hair for the high school girls. Kelly and her twin sister Karyn became clients of Nicole’s for a few years. One day a few years later Kelly and her mom came into the salon for Kelly’s hair appointment and talked to Nicole about Kelly’s interested in becoming a stylist. Seeing how amazing Nicole was doing in her career, along with Kelly’s lifelong interested in fashion she felt inspired to follow in Nicole’s footsteps. She soon enrolled in beauty school.
Nicole and Kelly then worked in the same location together for over 7 years. The girls learned they had a similar style in how they did hair and in their work ethic which led to the vision. Nicole shared her dream of opening a salon with Kelly after becoming such amazing friends, inside and outside of the salon, they realized they would be the perfect partners. That is when they started brainstorming and researching. They never knew when the right time was between working so much and Kelly trying to plan a wedding of her own. Both girls were buying their firsts homes and with Nicole raising two kids on her own, the salon dream seems impossible to reach. One night hanging out in Nicole’s kitchen doing each other’s hair and reminiscing about their memories when Nicole used to be Kelly’s stylist and talking about all the beauty classes they took together. They came to the realization that it was never going to be a good time and that life is too short to not follow your dreams. They sat at the table and started writing down ideas and reading business books. The girls starting working on a business plan. Once the plan was done they started talking to the banks, and when they were approved for the loans, reality set in! That the distant dream was becoming a reality.
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?
Opening a business comes with many challenges. Our challenges were trying to open a salon while working full time and taking care of the family. This was a big financial risk leaving our current salon and clients behind, not knowing who would walk through our doors. Upon looking at a bunch of different locations, the original salon Kelly and Nicole met in was vacant and needed to be completely redone. They both knew it was meant to be but were willing to take on the project.
Leaving their current jobs and opening the new salon was a two week time crunch. Sleeping overnight on the floor building and setting up their new space. Sleepless nights working all hours to get everything up and running on the opening day. Thanks to friends, family, and all our contractors it was all made possible!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Nickelle Beauty Salon & Boutique – what should we know?
Our business name Nickélle in Greek meaning people of victory, which we figured out after combining our names.
Our main focus is hair and makeup. Our goal is to make people feel beautiful and confident in themselves. Our decor in the salon is bright, clean and elegant, we want to have a friendly environment where people feel brightened as they walk in the door.
Setting us apart from others: We are all so close that we work so well together and we are so comfortable with each other. It is more like we are hanging out with friends than working. Which makes our clients feel comfortable and right at home.
Known for: Our beauty frame, to present our work through social media. Blondes, waves, balayage, extensions, and weddings
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Teamwork, Passion, Drive, Persistence, never giving up, Love, Friendship
When we first opened we hired our two best friends, that are stylist, one of which is Kayla Darsch Kelly’s cousin and Leslie Best that we worked with over the years. We all worked so many hours taking clients, answering the phone and running the whole salon until we were able to hire more girls to add to our team. Hayley Tradd our new assistant and Shannon Stearns are salon coordinator.
Contact Info:
- Address: 160 Summer Street
Kingston, MA 02364 - Website: www.Nickellebeauty.com
- Phone: 781-936-8219
- Email: Nicole@nickellebeauty.com
- Instagram: @nickellebeauty
- Facebook: Nickelle Beauty Salon & Boutique
- Twitter: @NickelleBeauty
Image Credit:
Kayla Darsch, Tyler Bouchard, Sally Woodbury
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