Why Vietnamese dominate Nail Salons

[Red Oak]

Very interesting, I hope it isn't thought to be overly "political"

When actress Tippi Hedren visited a Vietnamese refugee camp in California 40 years ago, the Hollywood star's long, polished fingernails dazzled the women there.

Hedren flew in her personal manicurist to teach a group of 20 refugees the art of manicures. Those 20 women - mainly the wives of high-ranking military officers and at least one woman who worked in military intelligence - went on to transform the industry, which is now worth about $8bn (£5.2bn) and is dominated by Vietnamese Americans.

"We were trying to find vocations for them," says Hedren, who is perhaps best known for starring in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and for running a wildcat sanctuary at her home in Southern California.

"I brought in seamstresses and typists - any way for them to learn something. And they loved my fingernails."

Hope Village, the refugee camp, was in Northern California near Sacramento. Aside from flying in her personal manicurist, Hedren recruited a local beauty school to help teach the women. When they graduated, Hedren helped get them jobs all over Southern California.

"I loved these women so much that I wanted something good to happen for them after losing literally everything," Hedren told the BBC from a museum she is building next to her home. The museum includes Hollywood memorabilia, a few photos of the women at Camp Hope and awards she's won from the nail care industry.

"Some of them lost their entire family and everything they had in Vietnam: their homes; their jobs; their friends - everything was gone. They lost even their own country."

The Vietnamese gave the nail salon business a radical makeover.

[ralph]

I hear similar with the old time Mom and Pop motel business , lots of third worlders from India are in that motel business nowadays . Get a motel room and lots of times a 'sikh' or similar will be renting the room out and the smell of curry is heavy in the air . Similar in the big rig trucking business in my casual observations at truck stops in parts of the USA where I see lots of turbaned Sikhs driving big rigs .

[GFB]

I like curry.

[millergrovesue]

Having never been in a nail salon I couldn't attest to the predominant ethnicity.

What about why middle easterners predominate at quick shops? I'm thinking, like the hotel/motels it's entrepreneurial spirit.

[crocmommy]

Having never been in a nail salon I couldn't attest to the predominant ethnicity.

What about why middle easterners predominate at quick shops? I'm thinking, like the hotel/motels it's entrepreneurial spirit.

I'm thinking the Mid Easterners are willing to do the hours of labor it takes to run motels and C Stores. They would rather do the work than pay someone to work for them so they can make the money. The only issue I have is that their cleaniless standards aren't as high as they need to be to operate over here. Many of the lowest inspection scores in Irving seem to go to their establishments.

[jellowrestling]

Very interesting; thanks for posting this!

[GFB]

Having never been in a nail salon I couldn't attest to the predominant ethnicity.

What about why middle easterners predominate at quick shops? I'm thinking, like the hotel/motels it's entrepreneurial spirit.

Si

[GFB]

Having never been in a nail salon I couldn't attest to the predominant ethnicity.

What about why middle easterners predominate at quick shops? I'm thinking, like the hotel/motels it's entrepreneurial spirit.

I'm thinking the Mid Easterners are willing to do the hours of labor it takes to run motels and C Stores. They would rather do the work than pay someone to work for them so they can make the money. The only issue I have is that their cleaniless standards aren't as high as they need to be to operate over here. Many of the lowest inspection scores in Irving seem to go to their establishments.

Si si

[crocmommy]

Weird thing...I got out to go to Minyards by my house after work yesterday. I just happened to walk by the nail salon next door and saw an older white guy doing nails. Go figure...

[Red Oak]

Now that is unusual !

My dear wife suggested that I go with her to the Nail Salon and get a Manicure; I told that right after Hell froze over I would consider it, but even then I could hold out a long time on the ice.

[Kiamichi]

The reason for foreign ownership of both hotels and convenience stores is that that is the easiest thing to get an investor's visa for.

[RaisinCain]

I know a Vietnamese man who came to the US with only the clothes on his back. He did whatever job was necessary to make a living; scrubbing toilets, washing dishes, etc. He didn't know anyone here or speak the language; he lived with a group of similar Vietnamese refugees in a house they all rented with their pooled resources. For years he worked multiple jobs, as did the others in his home. He learned the language and the culture. The immigrants did not use banks; they had a safe in their home and all money left over after paying the bills was deposited into it. After a 4-5 years, there was over $50,000.00 in the safe. A committee of his roomate\immigrants loaned him $20,000.00, to be paid back at 12% interest. He invested this money in a small nail salon, which he worked from open to close, 7 days a week. After paying back the loan, he saved his money and invested in another salon. Then another. And another.

Today Van owns 15 of the prettiest little nail salons you've ever seen. He is wealthy through his hard work and efforts, as well as the initial $20, 000.00 investment from his friends, which he gratefully acknowledges. He gives back to his community. He is a great American success story, and a great example of living the American dream.

Virtually anyone who gripes about their plight in life can do what Van did, but most will not. It's too much work.

[crocmommy]

I know a Vietnamese man who came to the US with only the clothes on his back. He did whatever job was necessary to make a living; scrubbing toilets, washing dishes, etc. He didn't know anyone here or speak the language; he lived with a group of similar Vietnamese refugees in a house they all rented with their pooled resources. For years he worked multiple jobs, as did the others in his home. He learned the language and the culture. The immigrants did not use banks; they had a safe in their home and all money left over after paying the bills was deposited into it. After a 4-5 years, there was over $50,000.00 in the safe. A committee of his roomate\immigrants loaned him $20,000.00, to be paid back at 12% interest. He invested this money in a small nail salon, which he worked from open to close, 7 days a week. After paying back the loan, he saved his money and invested in another salon. Then another. And another.

Today Van owns 15 of the prettiest little nail salons you've ever seen. He is wealthy through his hard work and efforts, as well as the initial $20, 000.00 investment from his friends, which he gratefully acknowledges. He gives back to his community. He is a great American success story, and a great example of living the American dream.

Virtually anyone who gripes about their plight in life can do what Van did, but most will not. It's too much work.

My only issue with those nail salons is how I've heard they are run. The women who work in them are often considered contract labor. Seems like they may even be paid in cash. If he's running his business correctly, that's good. If not, that may be partially the reason why he owns so many of them. Costs more to run businesses the right way. But I'm sure he has worked very hard and will give him his due on that.

[millergrovesue]

Virtually anyone who gripes about their plight in life can do what Van did, but most will not. It's too much work.

Very admirable and a great story about the kind of people who have made this country great. Thanks for sharing it.

[Red Oak]

For some reason this reminds me of a High School buddy that worked part time in a Women's shoe store.

He said the best thing about the jobs was looking up some women's skirts, and the worse thing about the job was looking up some women's skirts.

OK you can call me names now; but I didn't do it or say it, I just repeated it.

[Mark]

I know a Vietnamese man who came to the US with only the clothes on his back. He did whatever job was necessary to make a living; scrubbing toilets, washing dishes, etc. He didn't know anyone here or speak the language; he lived with a group of similar Vietnamese refugees in a house they all rented with their pooled resources. For years he worked multiple jobs, as did the others in his home. He learned the language and the culture. The immigrants did not use banks; they had a safe in their home and all money left over after paying the bills was deposited into it. After a 4-5 years, there was over $50,000.00 in the safe. A committee of his roomate\immigrants loaned him $20,000.00, to be paid back at 12% interest. He invested this money in a small nail salon, which he worked from open to close, 7 days a week. After paying back the loan, he saved his money and invested in another salon. Then another. And another.

Today Van owns 15 of the prettiest little nail salons you've ever seen. He is wealthy through his hard work and efforts, as well as the initial $20, 000.00 investment from his friends, which he gratefully acknowledges. He gives back to his community. He is a great American success story, and a great example of living the American dream.

Virtually anyone who gripes about their plight in life can do what Van did, but most will not. It's too much work.

My only issue with those nail salons is how I've heard they are run. The women who work in them are often considered contract labor. Seems like they may even be paid in cash. If he's running his business correctly, that's good. If not, that may be partially the reason why he owns so many of them. Costs more to run businesses the right way. But I'm sure he has worked very hard and will give him his due on that.

Isn't that the way things are normally done in a hair salon? I don't know why a nail salon would be any different.

One of my wife's co-workers owns a few hair salons. I'll ask her how he pays his people.

[crocmommy]

I know a Vietnamese man who came to the US with only the clothes on his back. He did whatever job was necessary to make a living; scrubbing toilets, washing dishes, etc. He didn't know anyone here or speak the language; he lived with a group of similar Vietnamese refugees in a house they all rented with their pooled resources. For years he worked multiple jobs, as did the others in his home. He learned the language and the culture. The immigrants did not use banks; they had a safe in their home and all money left over after paying the bills was deposited into it. After a 4-5 years, there was over $50,000.00 in the safe. A committee of his roomate\immigrants loaned him $20,000.00, to be paid back at 12% interest. He invested this money in a small nail salon, which he worked from open to close, 7 days a week. After paying back the loan, he saved his money and invested in another salon. Then another. And another.

Today Van owns 15 of the prettiest little nail salons you've ever seen. He is wealthy through his hard work and efforts, as well as the initial $20, 000.00 investment from his friends, which he gratefully acknowledges. He gives back to his community. He is a great American success story, and a great example of living the American dream.

Virtually anyone who gripes about their plight in life can do what Van did, but most will not. It's too much work.

My only issue with those nail salons is how I've heard they are run. The women who work in them are often considered contract labor. Seems like they may even be paid in cash. If he's running his business correctly, that's good. If not, that may be partially the reason why he owns so many of them. Costs more to run businesses the right way. But I'm sure he has worked very hard and will give him his due on that.

Isn't that the way things are normally done in a hair salon? I don't know why a nail salon would be any different.

One of my wife's co-workers owns a few hair salons. I'll ask her how he pays his people.

If they rent a station and mostly set their own schedule, they are contract.

If you set their schedule for them and they don't pay for anything, they should get a W-2 and benefits.

I read something when that McKinney nail salon was in all that trouble over advertising that they had "American workers". There are some shady things going on with owners and workers in those nail salons.

[ann jusko]

RaisinCain, I think I know who you're talking about. I have gone to that salon (the one by Kroger?). They are very good and it's probably more sanitary than most hospitals. My only problem (and it is my problem) is that I am NOT good at accents. I usually have no idea what they just asked me. There's a gal in Greenville who is a native Texan and I go to her when I go. I will go this week. I had gone to her and she had a knee replacement. The problem was she is allergic to acrylic. She knew not to do acrylic nails but acrylic was used in her new knee. She suffered with that for 2 years and I'd lost track of her. I met her in Walmart one day and she's back to doing nails. YEA! But yes, Van has had my business for those 2 years (if it's the same Van). I just feel like a fool that I can't understand them and they chatter back and forth all the time so I don't know what the heck is going on.

[LibraryLady]

I always think of the Seinfield episode when I am in a nail salon run by Asians...

[Mark]

I know a Vietnamese man who came to the US with only the clothes on his back. He did whatever job was necessary to make a living; scrubbing toilets, washing dishes, etc. He didn't know anyone here or speak the language; he lived with a group of similar Vietnamese refugees in a house they all rented with their pooled resources. For years he worked multiple jobs, as did the others in his home. He learned the language and the culture. The immigrants did not use banks; they had a safe in their home and all money left over after paying the bills was deposited into it. After a 4-5 years, there was over $50,000.00 in the safe. A committee of his roomate\immigrants loaned him $20,000.00, to be paid back at 12% interest. He invested this money in a small nail salon, which he worked from open to close, 7 days a week. After paying back the loan, he saved his money and invested in another salon. Then another. And another.

Today Van owns 15 of the prettiest little nail salons you've ever seen. He is wealthy through his hard work and efforts, as well as the initial $20, 000.00 investment from his friends, which he gratefully acknowledges. He gives back to his community. He is a great American success story, and a great example of living the American dream.

Virtually anyone who gripes about their plight in life can do what Van did, but most will not. It's too much work.

My only issue with those nail salons is how I've heard they are run. The women who work in them are often considered contract labor. Seems like they may even be paid in cash. If he's running his business correctly, that's good. If not, that may be partially the reason why he owns so many of them. Costs more to run businesses the right way. But I'm sure he has worked very hard and will give him his due on that.

Isn't that the way things are normally done in a hair salon? I don't know why a nail salon would be any different.

One of my wife's co-workers owns a few hair salons. I'll ask her how he pays his people.

She told me that she thinks he pays them by the job (not by the hour), and that they get a weekly paycheck with deductions.