Retail: Paris Nail Bar to open in West Raleigh

Khoa Nguyen has created what he hopes is not your typical nail salon.

On Saturday, he’s opening Paris Nail Bar, a place that will offer manis, pedis, waxing and wine.

But there’s more to it than that.

He’s also offering a space where you can tune out the usual distractions of a busy salon. A place to relax, have a drink and soak your feet.

Paris Nail Bar will have 10 pedicure chairs – eight will be in its open area; two others will be in private room.

“You can use it as a couple or with a best friend,” Nguyen said of the private space. “(It’s for those) who want to be away from the crowd.”

Customers who want to be part of that crowd but not the noise can hook up to the salon’s surround system through wireless headphones, which Nguyen says allow listeners to hear the TV or radio.

“One problem I encounter (at nail salons) is that sometimes it gets really loud,” he said. “One way I want to battle this is (with the headphones). Customers can relax on their own and tune out the crowd that’s around them.”

The 1,836-square-foot salon has eight manicure stations wrapped around a bar area that’s white and a rich brown. Each station has a built-in fan that’s made to suck in the nail dust and debris.

Paris Nail Bar’s bar has space around it for eight executive high-back chairs, where clients can order beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages.

The bar menu and pricing has not yet been finalized, but Nguyen said customers are offered a complimentary glass of wine and can also order beer or a higher-end wine from the bar.

The salon carries more than 1,000 polish colors in popular brands such as OPI, Essie and China Glaze, along with about 50 shades from its Signature Nail System, a polish that’s applied using different powders.

Paris, which also offers waxing services, will take walk-in customers; however, reservations are recommended.

Nguyen, whose family has been involved in nail salons for decades, is excited to give customers something that’s sometimes hard to find – a relaxing nail salon experience.

“We want to do something that represents us and our vision,” Nguyen said. “This is the vision I have when I go into a salon. This is what I want to offer, something (customers) can really enjoy being in instead of people coming in, getting their nails done and then leaving. I want them to enjoy the place.”

Paris Nail Bar is behind Cardinal Gibbons High School at 5433 Wade Park Blvd., Suite 160, in Raleigh.

The owners behind The Landmark, one of downtown Raleigh’s more popular watering holes, will open a second bar in the Warehouse District on Friday.

Linda and Brendan O’Reilly have spent the past 8 months renovating a 4,700-square-foot space at 412 West Davie St.

The result is Circa 1888, a name that refers to the period in which the two-story building was constructed by the N.C. Cotton Oil Co.

As with The Landmark, which opened in January 2008, Circa 1888 features a unique bar that the couple discovered in a warehouse in Upstate N.Y.

Owls and a screaming ram have been hand-carved into the back bar, which was originally built for the Scarlett Bar in Brooklyn more than 130 years ago.

Other touches in Circa 1888 include a stained glass door from England that dates back to the 1800s and an industrial beer tower that was custom made for the bar.

Circa 1888 also features four 8-foot pool tables and a patio on the west side of the building where dogs are welcome.

Circa 1888 opens at 3 p.m. Friday.

Hooters, known for its wings and waitresses, has remodeled its Raleigh restaurant. The new space offers updated audio-visual equipment, high-back chairs and booths, and extra outdoor seating. The 3,690-square-foot place is at 4206 Wake Forest Road.

Staff writer David Bracken contributed.

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Retail: Paris Nail Bar to open in West Raleigh."