CoCo’s Nail & Spa
At 8:30 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, four women are filling a few of the mostly empty chairs at CoCo’s Nail and Spa on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, Queens. A young Asian woman is quietly staring around at the bright pastels and tropical sunset drawings coloring the walls as she getting her nail tips done by the only visible employee in the salon. Her nail technician is just as silent, and wears a surgical-mask to cover her nose and mouth from the strong chemical smells of acetone and enamel saturating the store’s air.
On the far right of the store, across from the two Asian women at the nail station, an African-American woman is sitting in a small niche created into the wall. She has her newly-painted long fingernails lying below an artificial heating lamp, which is slowly allowing the enamel to dry. The woman admits that she has been to CoCo’s a few times; she was first drawn to the store a while back, when she wanted to get her nail done and noticed that it wasn’t very busy. Her daughter in tow, she got her nails done at CoCo’s that day, and has given the salon repeated business since.
A third Asian woman is sitting at an unused nail station near the cash register, sifting through several piles of small receipts. CoCo Chang, who has christened the store after herself, is a friendly and busy woman, but also someone aware of her business’ decline, particularly in the past year.
CoCo’s Nail & Spa’s clientele has not decreased since the economic downfall this past September. Chang, 38, notes that the number of people who come to her shop, found on 87-24 Jamaica Avenue, has not decreased, but what they order to have done changed.
“Some people usually get pedicures and tips; they probably just do tips only,” Chang says. “It’s not the amount of customers; just the bill’s come out smaller.”
When it was launched in April 2006, business was slow. A surge of customers came in a year after, and on average about 40-50 customers came in a day. However, the amount of money the patrons spent to get their manicures and pedicures dropped significantly.
“If you count per head, per customer, you break it down; you see that each ticket is probably $20 to $30,” Chang says of consumer spending in 2009; it is a decrease from the average $30 to $40 minimal spent per customer in 2008. Profits, Chang says, have “dropped by half” since September 2008, despite half of her customers giving repeat business to the salon.
The rent for the salon property has become more burdensome in recent months, as there is a five percent increase every year. Decreasing profits in 2009 has not helped pay dues, either.
“It’s kind of hard,” Chang says of making profits, “we made less money than last year. In the summertime, we make more.” She admits that, “on the record, this year we’ve made less than last year.”
There are five to six workers that comprise all of CoCo’s personnel, who earn a commission for each customer they provide nail service to; they make an extra $70 to $80 per day through commissions, in addition to their salary plus whatever tips they are given. When the store opened, Chang had four employees, including her; a couple of part-time employees also come in during the weekends.
Chang does hire extra staff, though it’s “probably in the summertime we’ll get one or two. Depending on this year, and how the business picks up, it’s probably just a few workers. Summertime we have about five or six.” There isn’t a worry of the salon closing down, however, unless business doesn’t pick up this coming summer.
The salon’s loss is significantly more than other businesses around it. A friend, who works at a nearby restaurant, told Chang that profits decreased by 20 percent. “I think I’ve lost more business because people still have to eat, people still have to do shopping, whatever. This is just nails and hair.”
I think getting your nails done, is like getting a haircut. You have to keep yourself well groomed to make yourself presentable. The recession hasn’t affected me from doing my nails, it a priority as is for the women you described
From what I picked up in the story, it is very similar to what’s happening at my aunts hair salon. The same amount of people are going to get their hair done, but they’re not spending as much. for instance if they used to splurge on special hair treatment, they just skip straight to the wash and set. I feel, one should continue doing the same things one did before the recession, but moderation and budgeting is definitely key.You have to remain well groomed, you never know who you might run into that will give you your next job.
Some women need to get their nails done every week. However, I know many people have cut back going into salons. Instead they are doing their own nails at home. It is cheaper and the money can go to their groceries instead.
It’s rare for someone to compromise getting their hair or nail done. People view this as a necessity, because this is part of their appearance. However, as you reported there is a slight shift in Coco’s business because people are spending less per visit. Which probably means they are spreading out the time between mani and pedis. Or it could also mean they are simplifying what is it they get done. (ex. a fill and a color change, instead of a fill and a french manicure with a design.) Once the economy improves more money will go into the things that don’t matter so much. Food will always be a priority.