Last week, two of our San Antonio salon suite owners made their mark on one of the biggest festivals of the year at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.
Megan Davis, owner of Stay Polished by Megan, and Sandra Garcia, owner of TX Mani Muse, took their skills on the road to provide their nail expertise at various events at SXSW over the weekend.
Sandra’s SXSW experience began at an event put on by STARZ Entertainment to promote the upcoming release of their show, VIDA. The show follows two Mexican-American sisters as they return back to their hometown of East LA, and the challenges they face upon returning.
Appropriately, the event was decorated in true Mexican-American fashion with bright colors and bold prints. “They had the whole place set up and decorated like the show,” Sandra shared. “It looked amazing.”
Guests at the STARZ event were given a card that allowed access to different stations and freebies around the event. Sandra and one of her friends operated one of those stations and offered free mini-manis that included polish replacement in fifteen different colors and nail art that matched the Mexican flare and bright colors of the show VIDA.
Megan spent part of her SXSW experience working a pop-up mani bar for “Women to Watch” last Sunday. The event was hosted for female leaders and entrepreneurs interested in networking with other strong women.
“Working the event was pretty intense,” Megan said. “We had a list of eighty girls wanting to get their nails done and only myself and one other nail tech giving manicures. It was intense, but super fun.”
Though Megan was excited to share her nail skills with the event attendees, she says that getting to meet and talk to other women entrepreneurs was an experience on its own.
“I got to meet lots of different people and many strong women,” shared Megan.
Sandra talked similarly about her event saying, “it’s a great way to network with people and just get your name out there.”
Both Megan and Sandra worked together on a close-out event on the last day of SXSW called “Treat Yourself.” The event was entirely focused on self-care and pampering, complete with massage chairs, B-12 shots, IV therapy and of course, nail care. Megan and Sandra provided manicures at the event, which they both said was an enjoyable and relaxed experience.
“We had a little display of art to pick from and we gave mini manis to guests,” Sandra said. “It was a good way to wrap up SXSW.”
Happy “Nailversary”
SXSW wasn’t the only big win Megan and Sandra recently celebrated. “January marked our one-year anniversary of being at Salons by JC,” Sandra happily shared.
Megan and Sandra started the journey toward this milestone long before they ever decided to become salon suite owners. The two initially met at a salon that they worked at together.
“We ended up meshing really well and getting along,” Sandra said. “Once we had both left that salon after being there for a couple years, one day I asked Megan ‘would you be willing to do the whole renting a nail space thing together?'”
From that day forward the two have never looked back. The pair celebrated their one-year nailversary in a fun and relaxed way that celebrated them, their accomplishments, and their clients.
“We had a party for our clients at a fun bar,” Megan shared. “Our clients were invited to just hang out with us. We had drinks, a taco bar, cupcakes, cookies… just so they could spend a few hours with us. It was as our way of thanking them for being with us on this journey. They are the reason we’ve survived.”
Congratulations to Megan and Sandra on all the awesome things they have accomplished so far, and all the awesome things they look to accomplish in the future!
Blog written by:
Miranda Gonzales
Account Coordinator
Sammis & OchoaÂ
About Salons by JC: In 1997, Jack Griffey and Cecil Miller began their journey to transform the beauty industry one salon suite at a time. Like most young entrepreneurs, they started out with a big idea but had to learn how to start and run a business from scratch. After much perseverance and hard work, one year later, they opened Salons by JC in Dallas, TX in 1998, welcoming beauty and wellness specialists who were ready to break free from the traditional salon model. The company has since moved its headquarters from Dallas to San Antonio, where it continues to grow through franchising. Today, Salons by JC has over 87 locations in 24 states and Canada.  For more information, visit salonsbyjc.com or salonsbyjc.com/franchise