Mimi’s Nails a long-time staple in the community

Written By KIRA WRONSKA DORWARD

Tom and Kim Nguyen are at their best making their clients feel good about themselves. Their business is beauty, but their nail salon in Caledon East can feel more like a neighbourhood social than a spa. Although they are not natives to Caledon, or indeed even to Canada, Tom and Kim have become an integral part of the community since they opened Mimi's Nails in 2002.

Their road has not been an easy one. Both were Vietnamese refugees, boat people, who met in a camp in Hong Kong in 1986 after fleeing the harsh realities of life in post-war Communist Vietnam. In Vietnam, life was “very hard and very poor,” and both sought a better life elsewhere. Although they were not given a choice about coming to Canada, both are now extremely glad to have been placed in their adopted country. After living with relatives in California and learning their trade by working in many nail salons in the Golden State, Tom and Kim came back to Canada to ply their trade in Bolton. Upon hearing from a client about Caledon East and its lack of a nail salon, Kim saw an opportunity for herself and her family and finally opened her own business, which she named after her daughter.

When asked about why they chose to open a business in Caledon, Kim talks about how happy she and her family have been in this community, and how nice the people are. “That's why we stay seventeen years,” she says. “We are very happy to serve people in Caledon. Our customers become like our friends.”

That really is the experience of going to Mimi's Nails. Much more than the services they offer, in having your nails done by Tom and Kim (and occasionally their children) and chatting with the friends and neighbours who walk in, you get the sense that, more than just performing a necessary task for personal upkeep, you are having a social experience. Pedicures in their wonderful leather massage chairs are a wonderful way to relax while having beautiful hand-made designs applied to your hands and feet, which is Tom and Kim's art. Their list of services includes mani-pedis for $40, organic seaweed gel, artificial and natural nails, and full-body service waxing and eyebrow tinting. There are no chips, lifts, fungus, or chemicals involved for a beautiful, natural look in a relaxing and social atmosphere. Walk-ins are welcome, and appointments can be booked at 905-584-6358. Hours of operation are 9:30am-7:00pm Monday to Saturday at 16048 Airport Rd., Caledon East. As a special offer through The Caledon Citizen, bring a copy of this editorial and receive $5 off a purchase of $30 or more (one per customer).