For owner Fabiola Marulanda, the success of Nail & Beauty Lounge of Hammonton has been long in the making.
Marulanda, a native of the city of Pereira in the department of Risaralda, Colombia, first moved to the United States in 1993.
“I came to Cranford, N.J., then later on I did marry in 1995—then I moved to Voorhees, I got divorced and moved to Florida ... I graduated from a school of cosmetology in Colombia. For me to start working here, I needed to go to school again,” said Marulanda, who attended both Miami Dade College and Camden County College.
Marulanda said that her family elected to stay in Voorhees Twp., N.J., which prompted her return back.
“I was looking for where to open my business, and I found Hammonton, which is only 30 minutes from Voorhees. That’s why I decided to rent here. It’s close to my family,” Marulanda said.
Marulanda said that she was taken with Hammonton almost immediately.
“When I came here, I liked it. As soon as I started driving from there to here, I said, ‘I like this place.’ When I came to this store, I really liked it. It wasn’t clean and organized, but I felt that it had the potential for me to fix it and do well. Later on—two or three days later—I came and had the chance to look, and I saw that there’s a lot of Spanish people here. I said, ‘My God, I didn’t know there were this many Spanish people here. I like it!’” Marulanda said.
Hammonton’s growing Spanish community, Marulanda said, was a major factor in her decision to open Nail & Beauty Lounge here.
“I like to have a mix of clients, and I feel close to my culture; it feels like home,” Marulanda said.
Nail & Beauty Lounge of Hammonton first opened its doors under Marulanda’s ownership on June 11, 2020.
“We started in the middle of the pandemic, and I was going to open in June, but the business wasn’t there. I was always here though, fixing things and doing other things, buying things and getting prepared for the good times that were coming. Now, since February, business is doing much better. Things have been good,” Marulanda said, noting that the store held its official ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 20, 2021.
Marulanda said that Nail & Beauty Lounge of Hammonton offers “everything that a manicurist license allows.”
“We do pedicures. We do manicures. We do extensions. We treat the fungus on your feet; we treat the fungus on your hands. We do waxing—eyebrow waxing, body waxing. We do eyelash extensions and lash perms. We also do nail art—painting, jewelry, all of that,” Marulanda said.
Of all of the services offered, Marulanda said that Nail & Beauty Lounge of Hammonton specializes in artificial nails.
“I want this place to be known as a good nail salon, where they come, they have whatever design they want, any art they want—and they’re happy. We have competition with other people, but I want them to know that when they come here, they can find everything that they can find in other places,” Marulanda said.
Part of the success of Nail & Beauty Lounge of Hammonton, Marulanda said, is due to her knowledgeable staff.
“They come here, and I don’t have to teach them. They already have the knowledge of how to do it; I just teach them better ways,” Marulanda said.
Marulanda said that she enjoys being able to have faith in the quality of the work that her staff produces.
“I want my people to do the work that I’ve been doing, keeping my clients happy. If you don’t trust the people that are going to be working for you, then you are lost, because you cannot do it all by yourself—especially this kind of business,” Marulanda said.
Marulanda said that she hopes that she—and Nail & Beauty Lounge of Hammonton—will be able to “stay here forever.”
“I want to make this place a great place for people to work and do what I do,” Marulanda said.
Nail & Beauty Lounge of Hammonton is located at 15 12th St. For more information, call (609) 567-3444.