Nail technician and barber duo Naira and Imoniel Matatov are launching their first business together as a married couple.
Imoniel, who goes by Manny, and his wife, Naira, opened Nailsparis & Hair Boutique at 45 East Jericho Turnpike in Mineola on March 17. The boutique will offer men’s and women’s haircuts and coloring, a range of nail services, and eyelash and eyebrow care every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Manny, who has worked as a barber for over 27 years across Long Island and Manhattan, and Naira, who has worked as a nail technician in Manhasset for the past five years, said they were excited to own their own place so they could dedicate proper space to their practices and provide high-quality services to their customers.
“I have been doing this for so long,” said Manny about cutting hair. “It’s not a job for me. This is a way of life.” During the 2010s he owned two barbershops in Manhattan and has worked at various other Long Island shops since high school, primarily in Mineola and Westbury.
“I love the fact that I get to speak to all sorts of people,” Manny said. “I get to hear their stories and get to pat them on the head and give them a nice haircut.”
In many ways, his love of talking to people while cutting hair is what led him to open Nailsparis. He met Naira at a barbershop he was working at in Mineola about five years ago when he was cutting her son’s hair.
“She was single. I was single,” he said. “Things just went naturally from there.” The two moved to Mineola a few years ago and live a couple of streets down from their new business with their four children.
Naira said she started doing nails for work because she was passionate about making her own beautiful, a passion she extends to all of her clients. At points during the COVID-19 pandemic and while pregnant, she even made house calls to clients to be able to continue serving them.
She said she was happy to have her own place for clients to come to. Manny added she had taken great care to create policies that would ensure all would have a safe and comfortable experience when visiting Nailsparis.
The village’s official ribbon cutting for the boutique will take place on April 4.
