Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
TONIA COPELAND/WESTERN NEBRASKA OBSERVER Rhonda Green, left, and her daughter, Kelly, work in different aspects of Ducktails Unlimited. Rhonda has owned the salon for 27 years, while Kelly recently joined as a licensed nail tech.
Rhonda Green has been in business for 27 years, buying her salon, Ducktails Unlimited, in 1988 following cosmetology school.
Her business originally began in the little building east of what is now Bemis Drug Store, but Green moved to Chestnut Street several years ago.
She attributes her longevity to a faithful clientele and her rapport with the community, and she feels that buying an established business helped.
"Most of my clients are regulars," Rhonda said.
The number of salons in Kimball makes adding new clientele difficult here, Rhonda said. She said that when temporary workers, such as those who built the pipeline, come into town it is as much a boost to her business as it must be to others.
"We all must stay busy. It is amazing for such a small town, but I guess everybody likes something different," she said.
Within the last year an exciting new development occurred in this long-time local business. Green's daughter, Kelly, joined her mom in the salon as a licensed nail tech.
"I wanted to do hair but there are too many people here that do hair," Kelly said. "Sidney offered just a nail program."
As the only full service nail technician in Kimball, Kelly offers a service many residents have traveled out of town to receive.
Since her business is fairly new, Kelly said that though her client base is small. But she sees it as a good sign that they are regular customers now.
In the beginning, her mom had to work hard to keep the customers from the already established business. Kelly is starting from square one and uses a variety of methods to build her client base.
Since most of Rhonda's clients are men, Kelly cannot rely on business from her mother's clients. In fact, though they work in the same building, there is little that the two do together, as they each schedule their own appointments and work in separate rooms.
The benefits of working together outweigh any potential conflicts, and neither Green could think of a single problem stemming from sharing the building.
"We both do totally separate things," Rhonda explained. "She (Kelly) comes in when she has an appointment and leaves when she is done."
"We do get some good bonding time and she cleans my appliances for me every once in a while, so that's a plus," Kelly said.
"I am glad she is here; I am glad she stayed in Kimball," Rhonda said.
