Hidden Gems: Meet Lakesha Rountree of Southern Princess Nail Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lakesha Rountree.

Hi Lakesha, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I actually started doing nails in high school. I have always been interested in the cosmetology field and at first wanted to do just hair. Once I started school, I go into nails and it just took off from there. In 1997 I started off working from home for a little while and was enjoying it. After I moved out of my hometown, I stopped doing nails for over 17 years and in 2017, I just decided that I wanted to start back. I actually didn’t think that it would work out the way it did because there were so many people doing nails in Augusta, but I was wrong. I started posting on Facebook and things slowly started to build from there. Since I had let my license expired, I had to start all over. So now at 44 years old, I am finally opening my own shop and branding “Southern Princess Nail Studio LLC.”

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has been a long road and a long time coming. I think the hardest thing for me has been building my brand. People want things to be so simple and cheap and everything good is not always cheap. So I have lost a lot of clients along the way trying to set prices and rules along the way. I have been called rude, mean, and many other things are trying to build what I have. Now that I have a decent size client list, I feel that the road has gotten a lot smoother.

We’ve been impressed with Southern Princess Nail Studio, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Southern Princess Nail Studio LLC is a private run nail salon here in Augusta, GA. I specialize in acrylic nails and extreme nail sets. I think what sets me apart from all of the other nail salons and private nail techs is because I feel that I work for the working woman. I say this because you have so many women that work every day and never get to do nice things for themselves. So I set my prices so that the average person can afford to look nice on a budget. They don’t have to feel that they need to go into their bill money just to look nice for their birthday or special occasion. I offer monthly and yearly plans that many of my clients take advantage of because it gives them a discount and a set appointment schedule that they can work with. Brand wise, I would have to say that I am most proud of my actual work and shaping of my nails. I feel that the shape of a nail can make or break a set and I pride myself on that. I put a lot of effort into making sure my nails are shaped perfectly and that they are flawless.

How do you think about luck?
Luck, good or bad, has played a small part in business, but I think it has played a big part in my life. When I started doing nails again, it was actually a bad car accident that made me consider going back to the profession. At that time, I was only doing it a part-time and working and full-time job. So when I was terminated from my job in March of 2020, I decided to go full-time doing nails.

Pricing:

• Full set $40/any length and shape with gel polish
• Full Colored Acrylic set $60/any length and shape
• Freestyle $85/any length and shape
• Fill ins start @ $30/any length and shape

Contact Info:

• Email: southernprincessstudio@gmail.com
• Website: https://southernprincessnails.as.me/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southernprincessnailstudio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplystunning2017