Economics

San Francisco: Luxurious Nails Opens on Third Street

Published

7 years ago

April 17, 2017

Oakland Post

Photo credit: Meaghan M. Mitchell/Hoodline

Sitting on the couch one night watching television, Richard Washington had an idea that would change his life.

He was watching “Boss Nails,” a nail salon founded by Dana Cody, which talks about the nail business in Miami, Florida. Washington thought this would be a good idea for a business in San Francisco and in particular – Bay View Hunters Point.

“I was like wow,” said Washington. “Here was a salon in Miami that was busy, making money and employing people from a community, like Bay View.”

The show got Washington to thinking and he began to look at the various nail shops in Bay View and the 94124 zip code.

“There were like three to four salons in the area and on Third Street, but there was nothing that was high end, in my opinion,” continued Washington. “So I saw a need. I wanted to create a nail shop that was high end and also affordable.”

To see a Black-owned nail shop in today’s times is a rarity in an industry that is dominated mostly by Vietnamese-owned nail salons. This has been the case over the past 20 years, especially in urban and most inner city areas.

Washington did his research over a year and half, going to different salons and then within the Bay View area. At the time, he was working for ATT as a technician, so in between work, he looked at the nail business in depth.

He was able to get a $50,000 loan from Main Street Launch in Oakland, which is focused on Black business creation.

He found new building at 4138 3^rd St., which has a 1,700 foot structure.

Washington signed a lease in September, begin working on the place and held a grand opening in January. The Luxurious Nail Salon has five spa chairs and pedicure stations, and a waxing area station.

It is a luxurious setting, in which customers are served wine and beer while they are getting pampered.

“You know in this business, you get what you pay for,” continued Washington. “You go to different parts of the country like in Los Angeles and or New York, and you go to salons that look like this, you are paying $60 for a pedicure. Here, I am way cheaper than that.”

He said that business at the start was slow, but it is picking up, as he has had to hire new people.

“I am in the process of promoting this business and working on getting more people in the salon,” said Washington.

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Business

Black Business Summit Focuses on Equity, Access and Data

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship. Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Published

3 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA), answers questions from concerned entrepreneurs frustrated with a lack of follow-up from the state. January 24, 2024 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, Lost Angeles, Calif. Photo by Solomon O. Smith

By Solomon O. Smith, California Black Media

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship.

Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA) was a guest at the event. He told attendees about his department’s efforts to increase access for Black business owners.

“One thing I’m taking away from this for sure is we’re going to have to do a better job of connecting through your chambers of all these opportunities of billions of dollars that are coming down the pike. I’m honestly disappointed that people don’t know, so we’ll do better,” said Omishakin.

Lueathel Seawood, the president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of San Joaquin County, expressed frustration with obtaining federal contracts for small businesses, and completing the process. She observed that once a small business was certified as DBE, a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, there was little help getting to the next step.

Omishakin admitted there is more work to be done to help them complete the process and include them in upcoming projects. However, the high-speed rail system expansion by the California High-Speed Rail Authority has set a goal of 30% participation from small businesses — only 10 percent is set aside for DBE.

The importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in economics was reinforced during the “State of the California Economy” talk led by author and economist Julianne Malveaux, and Anthony Asadullah Samad, Executive Director of the Mervyn Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute (MDAAPEI) at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Assaults on DEI disproportionately affect women of color and Black women, according to Malveaux. When asked what role the loss of DEI might serve in economics, she suggested a more sinister purpose.

“The genesis of all this is anti-blackness. So, your question about how this fits into the economy is economic exclusion, that essentially has been promoted as public policy,” said Malveaux.

The most anticipated speaker at the event was Janice Bryant Howroyd known affectionately to her peers as “JBH.” She is one of the first Black women to run and own a multi-billion-dollar company. Her company ActOne Group, is one of the largest, and most recognized, hiring, staffing and human resources firms in the world. She is the author of “Acting Up” and has a profile on Forbes.

Chairman of the board of directors of the California African American Chamber of Commerce, Timothy Alan Simon, a lawyer and the first Black Appointments Secretary in the Office of the Governor of California, moderated. They discussed the state of Black entrepreneurship in the country and Howroyd gave advice to other business owners.

“We look to inspire and educate,” said Howroyd. “Inspiration is great but when I’ve got people’s attention, I want to teach them something.”