Nailed It -- Freshman offers manicures and pedicures out of her dorm

Looking to get your nails done right here on campus? Look no further. Abby Heneveld (’27) offers manicures and pedicures from the comfort of her own dorm. Her services include gel or dip manicures, with the option of extensions and designs. The prices of her services range between $25 and $40.

“I have been doing nails since I was young for my family and my friends,” Henevald said. But, during her sophomore year of high school, she took her talents to the next level and officially started ‘Abby’s Nails.’ “I just loved doing it for my mom and my sister and they [told me] you should do it for other people,” Henevald said. “I created my own website for it and advertised it around school.”

When she made the move to college, she couldn’t leave her nail supplies behind. Henevald originally planned on just doing nails for people in her cluster, but it wasn’t long into the school year when she decided she wanted to open her services to all students. “I have gotten three clients so far and I hope to be able to do nails for people in Dykstra or [anyone else],” Henevald said. “ I love when I can see pictures or designs come to life on the nails.”

One of Henevald’s clients is Chloe Brunsberg (’27), who loved not only her gel manicure, but the whole experience of getting her nails done. “It was super convenient for me and she’s in the cluster next to mine so I was excited to meet someone new,” Brunsberg said. “She had music playing and was super easy to talk to, and she was able to do many different designs and colors which made it fun to pick.” Brunsberg would tell any student who is looking for a place to get their nails done to schedule an appointment with Henevald. “It was super fun and she is very talented,” Brunsberg said.

Since moving her nail business to college, Henevald has had to adjust to a new environment. From a house to a dorm, and finding a whole new client base, Henevald has had to do some fine-tuning to the details of her business, but she is up for the challenge. One particular adjustment is having to schedule appointments around varying class times. “Even though schedules are kind of all over the place, I work with my clients to help find the best time for them and their schedules,” Henevald said.

Like Henevald, Rebecca Markham (‘24) has been doing nails since she was a young girl, and is passionate about the art. She admires Henevald for spreading her talents around the campus and thinks a student-run nail business on campus provides students with a convenient way to get their nails done. “I think that it is amazing to see someone starting a nail business in college,” Markham said. “I think that manicures and pedicures can be hard to access while at Hope especially for someone who doesn’t have a car so it’s really cool that people are able to give others more access to this.”

As much as she loves the art of doing nails, Henevald’s favorite part will always be the smile on the faces of her clients once they see the final product. “It just makes me happy when I can make other people happy,” Henvald said.

To schedule an appointment with Abby, fill out her Google Form.