Many Grand Valley State University students are finding themselves scheduling hair and nail appointments in their peers’ apartments, creating bonds and connections in the process.

With students miles from home and away from their typical stylist or nail tech, on-campus businesses help fill in the self-care gap. By implementing safe spaces based on beauty, students are able to feel cared for during their appointments. Entrusting their peers, stylists and nail techs are able to grow in skills and clientele, sparking creativity through self expression.

Sophomore Lania Hicks is one of many students who style hair. She said she loves doing so, and that it’s “refreshing” seeing her clientele number grow and become more comfortable with each appointment. Also known as elegantmeltsbynia on Instagram, Hicks specializes in lace-front wigs and quick weaves. She originally began doing hair in Detroit her junior year of high school before relocating to the Valley Campus. Since moving to Allendale, where beauty-supply stores can be over 30 minutes away, she expressed a deeper relationship with her business has formed.

“I usually bring everything I need back with me from home when I make the trip to the beauty-supply store,” said Hicks. “I do believe being on campus and providing my services allows comfort for some girls, especially when they’re used to doing it themselves or traveling back home to get it done.”

Hicks’ experience exemplifies the role of student-run businesses. At a predominantly white institution, fostering a sense of belonging for students of color is especially important. For many, on-campus hair appointments make GVSU feel more like home.

Hair isn’t the only self-care service thriving on campus. Nail technicians, such as sophomore Kyndell Price, are creating spaces that encourage creativity and connection by turning dorm rooms into salons. Price began doing nails in January 2024, and started taking clients only two months later.

Price agrees with Hicks in that it’s affirming to build relationships with her clientele. However, she also makes sure to set boundaries: running a business on campus can often blur the lines between friend and client, so she has learned to be mindful of how she presents herself.

“I find that having a business does allow me to meet a lot of new people, but when making friends I always have to remember I am a business owner,” Price said. “How I put myself out there is how people will see me.”

As a freshman, Price worried it would be difficult to create a name for herself. Once she began creating connections, her anxieties faded. With every appointment, she’s found her business growing by word of mouth and through consistent posting on her Instagram, kynklawedyou.

“I first thought it would be difficult to find clients, but I began networking in the summer before I got here,” said Price. “My name was already out there and clients found me very fast when I arrived.”

As Price continues to build her clientele, she’s settled into her role as both a student and entrepreneur, providing services that many on campus deem important. As long as the need for self-care is present, student-run businesses will continue to thrive, shaping the clientele experience one appointment at a time.