Photography by Ashley Carrington Photography
St. Louis natives Dustin and Whitney Cole were visiting Sarasota, Florida, when they first stepped into a PAINT Nail Bar.
“It was everything I was looking for in a salon. I grew tired of not having that clean, sterilized environment," Whitney says. "When I was pregnant I stopped going [to the nail salon]. It was one of those things where I’d walk in and get a headache from the fumes."
She says that when she saw PAINT, she knew she’d be a customer. Now, she and her husband are co-owners of a Richmond Heights location at 18 The Boulevard. The shop opens with a ribbon-cutting on Friday, September 13 and a following open house from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 14. The Coles’ business is the brand’s 10th location, but only the second to pop up in the Midwest.
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Photography by Ashley Carrington Photography
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Photography by Ashley Carrington Photography
A fume-free luxury nail salon franchise, PAINT Nail Bar uses nail service tools that are sterilized in an autoclave comparable to that of a hospital’s; LED lamps rather than UV; and ceramic pedicure basins rather than whirlpool jets that might bear bacteria. Tools like buffers and manicure sticks are only used once. Guests are served Champagne as they choose from nontoxic polishes (free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor, and DBP) or water-based gel polishes.
“This isn’t going to be our one and only location, we have plans to open several of these around the area,” Whitney says. But for now, the two are focusing on the flagship.
“There’s a misconception that franchise means some big investor’s going in,” Whitney says. “We’re a small family—we’ve got two kids—and we truly just believe in this so much. It’s a small local family behind the business.”
Although a large component, the shop is not limited to nail care. “Our tagline is ‘Not a nail salon, although we do nails,’” Whitney says. It’s more of a boutique, she adds, and it will sell jewelry, clothing, and even products from local vendors.
Inside, customers will find rustic-chic meets modern with crystal chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, plush Ethan Allen chairs instead of bulky massage chairs, and wood furnishings (including barn doors) built by Dustin.
“It’s definitely your St. Louis vibe,” Whitney says. “It feels like a home.”
