Starting out in Jalisco, Mexico, and moving all the way to small town Pullman, Maria Ferrer has carried her passion of being a nail technician across the country.

For the last decade Ferrer has worked as a nail technician, moving from Mexico to California to get her business and technician license, she said. When deciding the type of services she wanted to offer, she noticed a need for nails in California. 

“It worked out perfect because it was what our clients in California needed, someone that will take the time to do your nails and not rush you out of the door, kinda offer more quality than quantity,” Ferrer said. “So that’s how I started my business in 2009 and then in 2016 I was fully booked.”

After starting Luisabella Nails and seeing the success within the business, her husband Esteban Gaspar decided to try it out for himself, she said. The two have worked together since 2017.

As the couple continued working together, they found themselves looking for more of a small-town vibe, and Pullman offered just that. 

Alongside doing nails, Luisabella is looking to expand their services, Gaspar said. Hair stylists and lash technicians are in high demand in Pullman, and they want to be a place that offers it all, so they have changed their name to Luisabella Beauty.

“We saw that there is a huge demand for other services that are not available here. I mean, there’s some but they’re booked out for months and nobody’s taking new clients,” Gaspar said. “That’s why we decided to get a bigger place because we want to bring more people. Hair stylists, estheticians, barbers, whatever the profession they have in the beauty industry.”

Gasper and Ferrer are the only nail technicians currently because they want to ensure quality service until they find another fit technician, Ferrer said. Luisabella is looking to create a diverse and welcoming image for itself as well.

“Pullman is very diverse and I think we need that high-end service. I think that even though it’s a very small town there’s a lot of people here and unfortunately there is not a lot of diversity when it comes to hair stylists or beauty services,” Ferrer said. “I can tell you that there is a need for a good person that does braids and that is something that I can tell by my clients how much they ask for that.”

Regardless of age, gender, race or ethnicity, Luisabella wants to expand its arms to the community and create a safe space for its clientele and those who do not feel comfortable going to other salons, Gaspar said. 

“There was one of our clients that were recommended to us and she is an LGBTQ community member and she came in, we did her nails, we treat her like any other person,” Gaspar said. “Since then she put a review on Google about us that we support that community, we don’t care about their race, gender or whatever.”

After the client left the review online, more and more people came in to get manicures, he said. The store saw more men coming in because of the welcoming environment offered. 

Gaspar and Ferrer not only want to bring in more services and more diversity, but they want to tend to the needs of the students, Ferrer said. They have noticed a lack of services and welcoming that college students on campus would benefit from. 

“We are here to make a family. That’s what we’re here for, we want to be part of that community. We want to support that community,” Ferrer said. “We want to be part of the support for the students because there’s a need for that and we just want to make sure that the services that we offer are welcoming and you can come and relax and have a great time with us without being judged or criticized.”