Nickel City Gritty: Top Coat Nail Lounge
I’ve always said that in order for me to feel my best, I need to make sure that my nails and hair are “done.” I could have the most bomb outfit on, but if I have a chipped manicure, everything is basically trash from there.
Getting manicures every two weeks has become a special treat to myself. That hour or so that I get to feel truly pampered is a dream, and something that I would have a really hard time giving up.
A few months ago, I visited Netta, owner of Top Coat Nail Lounge, who is one of the newer business owners in the Five Points area of Buffalo (located right next to my previous Nickel City Gritty interviewees What’s Pop-in’ Popcorn!) Her shop is adorable and she made me feel so comfortable. From that hour that I spent with her, I knew that she had to be on my list to interview. Oh, and my nails were looking flawless when she was finished!
Make sure to listen to Netta’s playlist while you read on. I can’t wait for you to get to know her a little better!
This is Nickel City Gritty, and this is Netta of Top Coat Nail Lounge
How did Top Coat Nail Lounge get its start?
I was a nail tech for years and I was doing nails out of my home, and honestly it was the location. I saw the business and was like, okay, I took it as a sign. I just jumped for it. Either I was gonna get a Master’s or I was gonna open a nail salon. The nail salon won! It was honestly the best decision I’ve ever made. We opened in October of 2019 and I’ve been planning for a salon forever, I was just looking in all of the wrong neighborhoods. This one popped out to me and I ran with it. The neighborhood has been amazing and very embracing.
If you could describe your personal style, how would you do it?
Carefree! Honestly, if I’m not coming to work, I’m not dressed. I’m in sweats or some type of pajama shirt and I’m covered in whatever sticky mess that my daughter is eating. Even when I come here, I’m still comfortable. I just had a baby a year ago, so it takes you a minute to get accustomed to getting dressed again. Now I like really baggy, 90’s clothes with a twist.
What would you tell your teenage self if you could go back in time?
Just do it. Don’t second guess yourself and don’t worry about if it won’t work. Just do it. That would be my number one. First off, get out of here when it’s time to go to school. I stayed here out of fear and that would have been the first thing I would have said. Accept all of these collages that are accepting you. No regrets, but I wish I would have taken more leaps, ya know? Like this. I took a chance and I’m so happy as to where I’m at and I’m like, why didn’t I do this sooner? I know there’s a time and a place for everything but I wish I would have just jumped and took a chance.
What is on your bucket list?
I wanna live overseas for at least a year, maybe Thailand or the Philippines. That’s about it! I’m big into traveling, and I want to give that to my kids. Everything else, I’m pretty much laid back, so that’s all I want.
If you could bring a fictional character to life, who would it be?
Hmmm…I guess Tiana from Princess and the Frog. That’s one of my favorite movies.
What’s on your playlist? What do you like to listen to?
I like listening to Afropop. Wizkid, Tank and the Bangas, anything that I can play with my kids. No hip hop or anything because they love to mimic and sing along. So we listen to a lot of Baby Shark and Sesame Street Songs *laughs*
What’s your spirit animal?
A bird. Hummingbird. We have amazing birds that come in our yard, and in my own little weird way I think that they are people, so we have this red canary and I know he’s my stepfather. He sits on my fence, which is right across from my kitchen, and he’ll just sit there and stare at me so I just talk to him. I love birds.
If you were lost in the woods, how long do you think you’d survive?
Oh nooo I’m a goner. Yeah I got about three days in me! However long they say you can survive without food, that’s how long I got. Between the heat and needing a shower, I’d be so miserable. I’m so not a camper.
What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
Become a mother. I was frightened, I was scared I was gonna do it wrong, I’ve seen people do it wrong. My husband and I were both scared to become parents, so to become a mother was the biggest leap I’ve ever done in my life. But it’s been the most fulfilling. I swear I’d do it ten times more if I just knew I wouldn’t get fat *laughs* Ten times more if I’d be skinny when I’m done!
If you could make a rule that everyone had to follow, what would it be?
Be kind. Not being vicious. I don’t like to feel like I have to have my guard up with anybody. Everyone should just be kind, and especially with this nail salon, I’m a black-owned nail salon and there aren’t many of us. People feel like we are up against each other, and it’s far from that. We all know each other personally and we root for each other. We are all doing this on our own, so just be kind and accepting and understanding.
When do you feel the most confident?
Ummm…I don’t have much confidence these days. My husband fills my confidence and raises my levels, and honestly if it wasn’t for him I don’t think I would have opened my nail salon because I was second guessing myself a lot. And like I said, being a mother is the scariest thing I’ve ever done, and it changes you and your body, so confidence is not necessarily an upper case letter in my world these days. I do this because I’m passionate about it, but not necessarily because I have confidence in it. The passion is what keeps me going. *pauses* Hmm…I guess I never thought of it that way, ya know? I kind of see confidence as arrogance, and I stay far away from that. So yeah, there’s not much confidence in my world, just a lot of faith and hard work.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to be happy. I want to be that old lady whose eye makeup is done incorrectly and eyebrows are too thin but she’s so happy. I want to be her. I want to be in a fluffy mumu with all of the florals and surrounded by kids and happiness. I gotta put that into the universe. I want to be my grandma.
Thank you so much Netta for meeting with me! If you’d like to make an appointment, visit her website and her salon is located at 416 West Ferry Street in Buffalo.
