Top Coat, Purcellville’s newest nail salon, opened this summer with award-winning nail technician Kim Patterson at its helm and a focus on individual needs and nail goals.
Patterson opened the salon after a successful career as a nail technician and numerous professional ventures, including Re-Love It Consignment, which she currently owns with her husband, Michael. Touches of Re-Love It are sprinkled throughout the 1,100-square-foot space, from the pedicure station’s leather reclining chairs to the feather pillows in a back area reserved for relaxation and enjoying beverages.
Patterson’s passion for nails came from her mother, with whom she would do her nails on Sunday nights. Doing that made her decide to get her nail license and pursue a career in the industry. This was a contrast to the primary job she held as a radio station DJ at the time, which she had pursued after majoring in broadcasting at Eastern Michigan University. “I had to take out jobs to make ends meet, and I got tired of working retail and restaurants,” Patterson says. “I woke up one day and realized I was making more money doing part-time nails than I was doing full-time radio, so I gave up radio and went to do nails.”
Top Coat was founded with nail education in mind. “I’m always trying to stay on the cutting edge of this business, and this is the new type of salon for nails that’s going on,” Patterson says. “Its look and the types of services we’re doing are educational, which I love.”
Patterson’s understanding of nail services as quality treatment is part of Top Coat’s foundation and is something she’s looking for in prospective nail technicians so they can work together cohesively. “I believe in one-on-one service, and that’s what this is all about,” she says. “This is really about one-on-one pampering.”
Patterson aims to help customers address the most detailed, personal needs for their nails as well. “For me, I’m in it for the long haul; I’m not in it to just give you a manicure today,” she says. “I want to make sure that your goal is achieved so that your nails look nice 24/7, all the time, not just the day they’re done.”
