The Nail Belle
Karla Carrington, owner of The Nail Belle, is a trove of fun facts: 1.) Her nail salon is eco-friendly — strictly toxin-free polishes, and no acrylics. 2.) Before setting up shop, she spent three decades in corporate America, most recently for Burberry. 3) She’s worked on magazine shoots beautifying the nails of celebrities, including Alicia Keys and Get Out actress Allison Williams.
But the Charlotte, N.C. native’s core motivation is serving her Brooklyn community. “When I moved to Bed-Stuy in 2006, I hated the factory feel of the nail salons,” she says. “They were not relational. So I wanted to do something of high quality in my neighborhood and bring some Southern hospitality.”
“When I moved to Bed-Stuy in 2006, I hated the factory feel of the nail salons. They were not relational. So I wanted to do something of high quality in my neighborhood and bring some Southern hospitality.”
The Nail Belle is intimate, with just two stations for manicures and three for pedicures. This is by design. “I decided to do it small, in order to establish a rapport with our clients,” says Carrington, adding that weekends are appointment-only. Other special touches include happy hour wine and the offerings of Black-owned, local nail polish brands: Breukelen Polished, made in Bed-Stuy; K2 Nail Paint, from Crown Heights; and GLH Nail Lacquer, based in Staten Island
The Nail Belle also leads community initiatives, including a free lunch program for kids in the summer and free in-home nail services to homebound seniors. “We are not people who just come in and get Bed-Stuy’s money and then run back to our fine homes in New Jersey, “ Carrington says of her staff. “We really do give back to our community.”
199 Malcolm X Boulevard, 347-281-8008, thenailbelle.com
