Nothing But Nails
Creativity is one of the many ways humans can show how much they are capable of. Junior Kristine Sirichoke’s creativity manifested in the form of a new hobby: nail design. By taking the first step and ordering a nail kit off of Amazon, she started something that allows her to express herself and gain work experience at the same time. At first Sirichoke only did nails for her friends, but after she posted her designs on Instagram, she started getting a broader range of customers and as a result began doing more complex nail designs. In turn, her account received more attention than she had gotten in the past from those at school.
Sirichoke’s startup business has made a big impact on her life, both inside and outside of school. Sirichoke’s customers often describe her nail designs as one-of-a-kind because she uses complementary colors to customize each set for her clients; this ultimately caught the interest of many students who requested that she design and make their nails for special events like prom. During prom season of last year, she had classmates she was not familiar with ask her for an appointment. She received many requests, causing her to turn down a few. Junior Naomi Sumule has been inspired by Sirichoke’s well thought-out designs.
“I have been friends with Kristine since freshman year,” Sumule said. “She started officially doing nails this year, but last year she [did] them for free for her friends. I was in admiration of her, and seeing her do all these nails made me fall in love with nail art. I would constantly show her pictures of nail art and that really helped deepen our friendship.”
Sirichoke’s parents have been her biggest supporters throughout this process, helping her by lending her money for supplies or hosting friends at their house since it doubles as her salon. Since she is still new to the business, the nails are affordable for students, with prices being as low as $40. Junior Isabella Parrent, a twice-returning customer for Sirichoke, feels more confident about her nails when she wears her designs.
“I got [two] press-on nail sets from Kristine,” Parrent said. “The first nails I got were for [winter] formal and they were these pretty chrome blue nails that lasted two weeks. [Now], I have nails that I found off Pinterest [that I asked Kristine to recreate]. It has been a week and they have not fallen off. No other nail artist from this school can [recreate art] like she does. I definitely recommend her for anyone who needs to get their nails done.”
Although her nail designs have become increasingly popular, Sirichoke says that she wants to open a nail studio as a side job and not as a full-time job. Either way, it seems she and her business will continue growing through high school, as she is excited at how well her business is doing and grateful to everyone who has helped her. “I am [so] proud of how far I have come,” Sirichoke said. “Personally, I think I got better with technique and how fast I do my nails. I have no idea [how my business will develop] in the next couple of years, but I hope I will get more customers by continuing to promote [my business] on Instagram.”
