BY ANDERSON HOBBS for WEEKLY VOLCANO 6/5/26 |
Two years ago at age 29, Rosie Pham became a first-time business owner after taking over Nail Pro on Hosmer Street. Two years later, the salon is thriving, offering customers more than just a beauty appointment.
Pedicures and acrylic nails are the salon’s most popular services alongside facials, eyelash extensions and waxing.
If they’d like, customers can relax with a complimentary glass of wine, soda or water while getting their nails done.
Pham encourages people to consider other benefits of pedicures that go beyond nice-looking nails. She said wax treatment leaves skin feeling as soft as a baby’s skin, and that some customers tell her they sleep better after a pedicure. And while first-timers may think a pedicure tickles, Pham said it’s an easy obstacle to get past.
“I want it to be an experience of self-care,” Pham said. “I want them to sit and enjoy and relax.”
Pham is the second owner of Nail Pro, taking over the business in January 2024. In that first year, Pham said she worked hard to build trust with longtime customers while learning the ropes of running a business.
More than two years later, Nail Pro attracts a growing group of regular customers of all ages, Pham said, including high school girls and even men who sometimes arrive after visiting the nearby Bass Pro Shop.
“I’ve been in the nail industry for 12 years,” said Pham, now 31. “I always wanted to be an owner.”
Before arriving in Tacoma, Pham had worked for a salon in Olympia. She thinks the demand for nail services is higher in Tacoma, perhaps because it’s a bigger city, but also because nail services simply seem more popular here. Whereas spring and summer are the busiest seasons for nail salons, Pham said her salon on Hosmer is busy all year. Another bonus, she said, is that her co-workers at the salon are “just like family to me.”
“I’m very lucky to have this business in Tacoma,” she said. “We see the joy, we see the smiles of people who are happy with the work we did. Every time someone says thank you, it makes me so happy.”
Nail Pro, 7925 S. Hosmer St., #B, Tacoma, WA 98408. Contact 253-472-2215 or visit nailprotacomawa.com.
