Bombshell Beauty Salon
Bombshell Beauty Salon is a new business in downtown Victoria, run by Rachael and Sabrina. They specialize in gel and acrylic nail enhancements and lash extensions, as well as offering other services like manicures, pedicures, facial waxing, airbrush tanning, and more! Their salon is a fun and inclusive space where they want to “make you feel like a total bombshell”.
Sabrina and Rachael in their salon. Photos by Ariel Glidden
What is your background?
“Sabrina has worked in customer service her whole adult life, but always wanted to do something creative. Starting out as a makeup artist in 2010, she found her curiosity and passion for the beauty industry growing from there. She loves learning new things and has enjoyed adding services to her repertoire over the years.
Rachael has been in the beauty industry since 2013. Starting with nail technology, she has trained in Victoria and Vancouver, working in different salon settings along the way.”
What made you want to open Bombshell Beauty Salon?
“We both have always dreamed of owning our own salon, and we were at the point where we were ready to rent a table or a room in another space to start growing our own businesses. Then the pandemic hit. The salon we were working at closed permanently, leaving both of us without jobs. When personal services were able to resume, the industry looked very different. No salons were hiring. There were no room or table rentals available, either. It was time to take matters into our own hands, and we chose to take the risk and go into business for ourselves! We found a cute little spot in the downtown core and made it our own. We were finally able to turn our dreams into reality, and we couldn’t be happier!”
Photos by Ariel Glidden
What makes your business special?
“Our goal with Bombshell Beauty was to create a fun, inclusive space where everyone would feel welcome and safe. Knowing which salons are clean and safe can be difficult, so we make it a priority to keep up-to-date with our infection control training and to be properly certified in every service we offer. We have fun with our clients and truly enjoy the time we get to spend doing what we love!”
What inspires you?
“When Sabrina originally sat down to come up with a business name, she thought of how she wanted to make her clients feel. She realized she wanted them to walk away feeling like total bombshells, and the name fell into place easily. That’s her inspiration. She loves seeing the transformation in her clients, and instilling a little bit more confidence than they had when they first walked in.
Rachael loves seeing the impact we can have on people’s lives. She has had many strong women in her own life who have inspired her to do great things, and do them well.”
Photos by Ariel Glidden
Why downtown?
“For Rachael, downtown has always been close to home. When the opportunity arose for a cute little salon on Johnson street, neither of us could resist; downtown has a lot of unique spaces.
When Sabrina was a teenager, she wanted to be a fashion designer. She remembers reading an article about the bumping fashion scene on Johnson, and it seemed like the ultimate place to be. She thought “that’s going to be me one day.” She was going to have a boutique shop on Johnson Street, and make women feel beautiful. It wasn’t long, however, before she realized that she would never be a fashion designer as she did not know how to sew and did not wish to learn! Somehow she ended out with her little boutique on Johnson anyway. It looks very different than how she initially imagined, but she gets to make people feel beautiful each and every day.”
Photos by Ariel Glidden
What advice would you give to others who want to start a business? What would you have liked to know before you opened yours?
“We are so lucky to live in a time when entrepreneurs have more support than ever before. We have never run a business, but we worked with resources like Small Business BC to make sure we were taking all of the appropriate steps. I suppose the best advice we can give is to be bold and go after your dreams, using all the resources available to you in order to achieve them. Do your research and ask lots of questions along the way!”
Photos by Ariel Glidden
How to find Bombshell Beauty Salon:
Bombshell Beauty Salon is located in Suite #104 in the Maynard Court Building at 733 Johnson Street. They can be reached by email (hello@bombshellbeautysalon.ca) as well as over the phone at 250-360-0555. They would love to chat with you on the phone to set up your first appointment. You can find them on their website, Facebook, and Instagram too!
