Meet Montserrat Mendoza | Nail artist and Salon Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Montserrat Mendoza and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Montserrat, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The whole thought process behind opening Velvette Nail Studio was to be a sort of transition house. I want nail techs to come learn and grow as nail techs under my wings. I remember what it was like to work at the first salon I worked at, it was a beautiful facility, but the owners weren’t nail artists. I felt like there was always a disconnect between the owners and the staff because they never knew what it was like to sit on the other side of the nail desk. I want to guide future nail techs on their journey and career! In this career it is rare to find help from those who have came before you, I want to change that. By having beginner nail artists work at Velvette I want them to focus of growing their clientele and skills and at the same time, I want Velvette to be known as the salon that creates the greatest nail techs to have ever come out of San Diego, I want my students to surpass my skills and to go on to do great things on their own and that they too learn to help those who will come after them. Being a nail artist is a beautiful and creative career, but requires a lot of time, dedication, passion, but most of all patience.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Velvete Nail Studio is a Latina owned nail salon in Chula Vista CA. We specialize in Nail enhancements, pedicures, and nail art. What I think sets us apart from the majority of other nail salons is that although we can service more than one person at a time our Salon is still very intimate and cozy. I am really proud to be able to say that my salon follows all state board rules and regulations and that our top priority is to provide cleanliness and safety for all of our clients. I believe that there is no fast track to success in any business, every step has been hard work. From starting my career as a nail tech for the first salon I worked for when my full sets could take up to 4 hours, to taking numerous nail classes to develop my skills, to working by myself for myself, to now juggling owning and running a salon full time, working as a nail tech full time, and still trying to be there for my family as best as I can be. It has not been easy but I take it a day at a time. Some of the lessons I have learned along the way have been patience and perseverance will take you farther than rushing into things. I often tell people that patience is not one of my strong suits but owning my salon has taught me to be patient and to keep doing what I’m doing, even if my imposter syndrome tells me other wise.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Omg! if my best friend was visiting for the week I would of course make mani and pedi appointments at Velvette Nail Studio! after that we would make our way down to chicano park area where you can find some of the best little coffee shops in town like Chikitas cafe and Drinky Promise both women and Latina owned to name a few. We would make our way down to Coronado dog beach for the day so our pups could enjoy some waves while we enjoyed a nice sunny day. We would grab a bite to eat at La Nacional in Chula Vista, where we would have amazing food and even more amazing drinks made with liquors from all over Mexico. On a Friday Night we would make our way to down town to a new arcade called Monster Arcade, If you haven’t been you are missing out! And for dinner we would go to Mana Korean BBQ in convoy area. San Diego has so many dope places, these are just some of my favorite go to places.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shout out goes to one of my dearest friends Jessica Sandoval. Without her mentorship, help, friendship, support and tough love a lot of my accomplishments would not have happened. She has guided me through my salon ownership journey ever since I stepped out on to my own salon suite and up to this point where I own my salon with two employees and rooms for rent for other beauty professionals. Jessica has been there to answer any and all questions, she is such a knowledgeable person when it comes to business, and I can’t thank her enough for always holding my hand and being a phone call away.

Website: https://velvette-nail-studio.square.site

Instagram: @velvette.nail.studio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092414524483&mibextid=JRoKGi

Other: @nailsbymontse is my personal instagram separate from my salons.