Nail Inn Academy Has Ribbon Cutting: 'This Will Be A Good Fit'

JOLIET, IL —A few dozen family, friends and business colleagues recently gathered in downtown Joliet for a business ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new storefront is expected to bring significant foot traffic to North Chicago Street on weekdays. After three months of interior renovations, Michele Birk is ready to open The Nail Inn Academy at 160 N. Chicago St.

She is filling the vacancy created last summer when the Fitwell Fashions clothing store closed.

Birk told Joliet Patch she expects to have The Nail Inn Academy open in the coming weeks. Because she operates a school, the state of Illinois, not the city of Joliet, will conduct the final inspection on her property.

She told Patch she was very pleased with the renovations. The former clothing store is now divided into two sections for her nail students. One section is for classrooms and the other section for the clinic floor.

"It's incredible," she said. "This is just a six minute drive from my house. We already have a lot of students at our Lemont location who are coming from Joliet."

Birk said the Nail Inn Academy will be a unique business for downtown Joliet. "There is no school for just nails," she said.

She said she expects to have 100 students at her new location in downtown Joliet.

"Walking into this building on day one I wasn’t sure what my mom was seeing but I knew her ability of bringing dreams to life and well, she did it again," Isabella Birk posted on her mother's Facebook page. "The hours we spent cleaning and then recleaning while my cousin reconstructed the whole place were exhausting and so rewarding. From choosing paint colors to picture placements, it’s been an honor watching my mom do what she does best. You’ll forever be my greatest teacher and my best friend. Here’s to the hours of work and fun ahead of us."

Building owner Mike Petry and Joliet real estate agent, Mark Koenig, attended the ribbon cutting event. "I think this will be a good fit downtown, with the University of St. Francis and Joliet Junior College" already here," Koenig said.

The Nail Inn Academy will occupy 3,800-square-feet of building space, Petry said.

"It's a destination concept and that's what Joliet needs," Petry said. "It is good for downtown."