A vibrant storefront in Inglewood, California, Nail Dega welcomes you before you completely reach the door. On a sunny Sunday afternoon in July, I approached the door of the shop to be welcomed in by the nail salon’s owner, Olina Rose.
Since 2015, the shop has gone through what many new businesses face: a minute clientele, licensing, and even damage repairs. Those, however, did not stop Olina Rose from moving forward. In 2017, not only has Nail Dega built a loyal and larger clientele, but the storefront has also pursued other business pursuits, including it’s own nail polish line.
Just back in California from a business trip to Germany, Olina works on her client’s nails during our interview. The scent of lemongrass filled the air, which only added to the serenity of the shop. The smooth bass from The Internet’s “Special Affair” plays over the speaker. She is covered by her apron, curly hair tied upward into a floral scarf; careful and precise about the work she’s doing, leaving no detail unchecked. Outspoken and transparent, Olina shares the struggles that come with being a new business owner, and the parts of her life that contributed not just to her work ethic, but to her passion of nail artistry.
Olina Rose and Nail Dega
A Mississippi native, Olina is from a small town named Enterprise, a town that she described as “too small for me now.” It was there that Olina grew up in foster care. While in foster care, Olina quickly learned that if she did not do for herself, no one else would. During that time, Olina grew in her passion for hair and nails, starting with the women at her church as her first paying customers.
“I couldn’t depend on anybody. I couldn’t ask nobody for nothing. My first way of making money was braiding hair,” Olina said. “I used to braid the ladies at my church’s hair every summer. I used to do micro-braids, and I used to charge them $100. So, nails and hair was always, like, my means. I knew if I needed something, I could always do somebody’s hair; I could always do somebody’s nails. That definitely contributed to my work ethic. [Be]cause I had to get it. And, I still have to.”
Though creativity was never fostered in her home, an interesting fact since her father was a jazz musician, Olina used her creativity to make a way for herself. Through that creativity, she found something that she is passionate about.
Nail Dega opened with no public attention in 2015 because Olina didn't want to draw too much attention.
“I couldn’t depend on anybody. I couldn’t ask nobody for nothing. My first way of making money was braiding hair.”
Olina Rose attending to a customer at her nail salon, Nail Dega, in Inglewood, California.
Solid work ethic paid off for Olina. This amount of dedication helped Olina to not only gain the attention of Inglewood-native and HBO’s “Insecure” star and creator, Issa Rae, but to accomplish her goal of hiring her first employee.
“The reason I wanted to own a business was to provide opportunity to other black women,” Olina said. “It’s hard out here sometimes, you know, finding a job. So, if I can create the opportunity, I can create the jobs. Somebody can feed their kid. Somebody can eventually buy their house or pay rent… I like creating opportunity for people.”
Olina started Nail Dega under the name “Hippie Dega”, a consulting agency that focused on brand and independent artist consultations. Not too far into her work as a consultant did Olina realize that she could not see herself being a consultant long term and went back to her original passion: Nails.
“The brand was called “Hippie Dega” in the beginning, and it was a consulting agency that I started basically when my job fired me. I consulted brands and independent artists,” Olina shared. “But, I always had an interest in nails. I’ve been doing nails all my life. It was always, you know, something that I just did. After a while, consulting -- I liked doing it -- but I couldn’t really see it being something storefront wise.”
Despite the name change, Dega seemed to stick. Why? Because “Dega”, a Senegalese term from the Wolof Tribe in West Africa, means “to understand”. Olina, as she explained it, focuses not only on understanding her role as a businesswoman but understanding the needs of her customers. Such detail and care makes for quality service, aiding to the success of the shop. Despite its eventual success, Nail Dega gas encountered its fair share of obstacles.
“The reason I wanted to own a business was to provide opportunity to other black women...It’s hard out here sometimes, you know, finding a job. So, if I can create the opportunity, I can create the jobs. Somebody can feed their kid. Somebody can eventually buy their house or pay rent… I like creating opportunity for people.”
While licensing was a problem, she did not let start-up funds or licensing get in the way of her passion. Olina was dedicated to her desire to be in a black neighborhood, serving black people. Olina also firmly believes in building economic strength in black neighborhoods by supporting independent businesses because it provides jobs. When jobs are provided, the crime rate goes down.
According to a crime report put out by the City of Inglewood, 3,465 crimes were committed in 2015. That’s down 6,920 from the 10,385 crimes committed in 1978, and those stats for 1978 do not include the number for arson. Olina’s goal is backed up by the numbers, and backed up by the fact that Inglewood is a city that flourishes with black-owned, independent businesses.
On January 2, 2016, Olina showed up to work with another obstacle at hand, a car crashed through her storefront. The repairs were expensive and the damage caused the shop to be closed for 3 months. While this forced the self-proclaimed workaholic to rest, she did not let it get her down.
“An accident happened to our building. That’s why it’s still not even, like, done. A car ran into our building January 2, 2016, right after New Year’s. The whole front of the building was gone,” Olina said. “You would think it would be bad, it was so sad, yes, yes, yes, of course, but we were able to bounce back within three months.”
Though the shop wasn’t complete, Olina came back to work after three months of waiting. With her new customers and her existing old customers, she got back to work and continued on her own with back-to-back appointments. Through that slight setback, came recognition for the shop’s dedication.
“From that experience, though, somebody was obviously watching us because we won ‘Best Nail Salon in Inglewood’ off of that,” Olina shared. “So, it was a curse, but it was a gift at the same time. Most people would have shut down, moved to a different neighborhood but this is all that I have. So, I just bounced back, paid for the repairs and opened back up. So, that was a blessing.”
For Olina, she hasn’t had any experience that she would consider something she did not learn from. She’s always learning “business moves” and “more about the hiring process.” She’s learned that it's not just about making money, but being of service and remaining loyal and consistent in her overall craft,. And, after her first hire, she pours into her life as well.
“We do trainings. We do trips. I’m always trying to stay up on the trends,” Olina said. “It takes a lot but it’s rewarding because you want people who work for you to be happy with where they work.”
Olina strives not only to keep her employee’s happy and involved but her customers as well. Part of her creative process is checking in with what the customer wants.
Waiting area at Nail Dega in Inglewood, California.
“I always check with the customer. And if they want some nail art, I’ll be like “Okay, what are you feeling like? What do you want?” They usually don’t know,” Olina laughed. “So, that’s where my job really comes into play. I just basically start with colors. I tell them to pick three colors. They don’t have to match. I don’t want them to match, actually. They shouldn’t match. And then, from there, I’ll just start polishing. Then, I’ll think of a picture I’ve seen. I never really look at other people’s nails for inspiration.”
Olina’s aim to be original is one of the many things that allow Nail Dega to stand out among its competitors. Her dedication and grit to what she does is one of the many reasons why she has a long list of happy and returning customers.
If it really is the first three to four years that make a business, Olina is on the fast track to success. Nail Dega and her life has not only contributed to her strength as a person, but her intelligence, too. You don’t get Issa Rae and an award by giving up. As Olina says, “It all works out in the end.”
