Into the Spotlight: With her two children starting school Kerrie Williams turned her passion into a purpose

Into the Spotlight, kindly sponsored by Scriba PR, is a regular feature where we highlight some great small businesses.

Starting a business is not a process for the faint-hearted, but for Kerrie Williams, from Mount, Huddersfield, the creation of her new nail salon in Marsh – The Nail Loft at Westbourne – is actually an opportunity to turn her love of art into a living…

I’ve worked in administration for a number of years, and having now had two children, it would be easy to think – why change anything? We have our routine, we’re all happy, it works.

But steady careers don’t mean you necessarily feel as fulfilled as you could.

I’ve always found art therapeutic but any use of my creativity has been in my spare time only for as long as I can remember. So, with my son Archie now joining my daughter Bianca at primary school, I thought – could this be the perfect opportunity to change my job and turn my passion into a purpose?

Supported by my partner Kristian, I began training to be a nail technician, studying on an evening when the children are in bed, or stealing hours to complete assessments over the weekends, while the family went out to give me some peace and quiet.

It’s been a juggle but family life always is. And knowing there was an exciting reason to keep pushing on, meant we all made the commitment, together.

And so, the story began for The Nail Loft at Westbourne. Situated above LJ Hair – a hairdressing salon owned by my mother-in-law – my goal was to turn this into a little oasis of calm for my clients.

Being a busy mum of two, I thought about what helps me relax and de-stress – the outdoors. The outdoors is scientifically proven to lower the human stress hormone – cortisol – as well as the heart rate, so I wanted the salon to reflect this natural effect by bringing the outside in.

I want clients to arrive and leave all their troubles at the door. I want it to feel like a safe space, which many people simply don’t have.

I’m very aware that this is a crowded market, with dozens of established nail techs in HD1 alone – never mind the rest of the town!

But most nail salons are crowded and noisy, which doesn’t suit everyone. I will be the sole therapist at The Loft, treating one client at a time on an appointment-only basis.

This will allow people to fully enjoy their experience, without feeling rushed or unimportant, whether they want to chat, or simply indulge in some quiet R&R.

Currently offering hard gel, acrylics, gel manicures and pedicures, as well as mini manis for little princesses, this is the start of a really exciting adventure for me.

I love nothing more than creating my own designs, so I have particularly loved meeting customers who have trusted me to ‘freestyle’.

But everyone is welcome at The Loft, and as I build up my client base and further develop my training, who knows how the menu of treatments will expand…

The Nail Loft at Westbourne is now open Thursdays and Fridays 09:00-17:00 and Saturdays 09:00-13:00. Follow this new business on Instagram and Facebook.