Nail salon, bead shop provide two services under one roof

MATT ALLEN

February 01, 2008 at 1:16PM AKST

Two Seward entrepreneurs have come together to create a unique nail salon and bead shop.

Longtime Seward resident Angel Hribernick and her friend, Tracy Bartley of Anchorage, took a chance and opened their own business. Last summer Hribernick attended nail classes in Anchorage, and it didn’t take her long before she opened up shop in downtown Seward.

Hribernick’s first opened her salon Nails by Angelena in the SeaView Plaza in July of last year, and after spending three months she decided she needed a change and more space.

In October, Hribernick and Bartley decided to become business partners and signed a lease on an old garage that had been remodeled into an apartment. The new space contains plenty of room for both women to work comfortably on their own crafts.

Bartley runs the beads and crafts aspect of the business, Alaska’s Beads and Things, and is also a lifelong Alaskan and moved to Seward four years ago from Anchorage. Bartley has always been interested in beadwork and when she saw the chance to open up her own shop she jumped on it. "I made my living as a bartender and was looking for something new," Bartley said.

Both Hribernick and Bartley have found their new venture to be satisfying and are surprised at how well business is going. Opening a new business during the winter can be difficult, but the business partners have seemed to pull it off.

"I expect that in the summer business will really pick up," Hribernick said.

Hribernick works part time for both Safeway and Ready Care along with maintaining appointments with her clients. Working as a cashier at Safeway gives Hribernick a chance to let people know about her new business.

"Our clients have either seen one of our many posters we have put up around town or have just heard by word of mouth," Bartley said. They both agree that living in a small town has its advantages when it comes to opening a new business especially when that business is supported by the community like theirs has been.

Their shop off Sixth Avenue features displays, work areas and even a little kitchen. The partners have their own areas in which they can run their own separate businesses, leaving room for a register, common area and a little nook near the front window with a view of the bay.

Hribernick’s area is a place for relaxation and pampering. Her expertise lies in fingers, hands, toes, feet and nails. Manicures and pedicures are some of the services that she provides, but she also does custom fingernail designs and hand and foot massages.

"I actually have a few male clients who come in for manicures," Hribernick said.

Hribernick also works on feet, performing massages with oils and helping relieve stress in one of the most abused parts of the body.

"It’s satisfying to make people feel and look good," she said.

To the right of Hribernick’s station is Bartley’s area where she works on her beaded crafts and sells handcrafted art from local artists. Working with tiny beads is Bartley’s specialty. She threads the beads to create custom designs.

"Most of my work is for custom beadwork," Bartley said.

Some of this custom work includes gloves, necklaces and cigarette lighter holders. She works with both fabric and rigid surfaces, such as that of a Christmas decoration.

"I plan to increase inventory and bring more of a selection to the shop," Bartley said.

One of the more unique items at her shop is a collection of fishhook earrings and fishing lure necklaces.

Bartley also hold classes from 2-4 p.m. every Saturday. Each weekend focuses on a different project and type of beadwork from traditional-style earrings to more contemporary work.

"I plan to start a sip-n-sew group where people can get together, drink tea and sew," Bartley said.

The women have begun to expand their business via the Internet, making Bartley’s products more accessible to people outside of Seward through the Artists Alaska Website.

They have also opened the Catalog Cache, which is an online drop-ship outlet that provides products from electronics to camping equipment that can be purchased through them and shipped directly to the customer.

The two also have a selection of gift baskets available for special occasions such as Valentine’s Day and birthdays.

For more information on Nails by Angelena and Alaska’s Beads and Things, call Angel at 362-1377 or Tracy at 491-0086 or visit www.artistsalaska.com/alaskasbeadsandthings/index.htm.

Both businesses are open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and are located at 213 Sixth Ave.

Matt Allen can be reached at (907) 952-8527.