Nail Salon Looks to Open at Old Cafe on Cedar Spot

Not too long ago, Lockport resident Penny Montana was getting her hair done, and her stylist said she had lost a lot of customers because they couldn't afford to keep paying.

Montana, who said she would sometimes pay up to $150 for that service, got to thinking: What would women pay for instead that wasn't as pricey? Now, she's looking to open a nail salon in New Lenox at the old location of Cafe on Cedar, 398 N. Cedar Road.

"Women want to feel pretty," she said. "If they can’t get their hair done they're going to do something else."

Plans for the location must still be approved by the village's Building Department, but Montana said the main concern is the ventilation for the chemicals used in nail products. Parking, however, shouldn't be as much of a concern as it has in that location in the past, particularly because it's not a restaurant that will pack lots of people in at the same time. Before Pretty Penny's claimed that spot, a hookah lounge had plans to open there but couldn't after .

There are a number of other nail salons in town, but Montana, a former inside salesperson, made her pitch by saying she hopes to improve the customer's experience and plugging a unique way of painting acrylic nails.

"I’ve been on the other side getting my nails done for years and so many things I didn’t like," she said. "I'll treat customers with respect, offer them coffee or water, not order them around."

Additionally, she said she won't use any products that have toxic chemicals that can cause cancer. Something else Montana plans to offer is gel nails, which involves creating designs by mixing different nail polishes in water and then dipping in acrylic nails.

Montana said her tentative hours will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and by appointment only on Sundays.