A Lexington, SC nail salon can match each cost to its own kind of funding: equipment financing for pedicure chairs and dust collectors, a term loan for the stations, furniture and fixtures of a larger suite, and working capital for a month when bookings come in under payroll. Pricing the purchase or the gap first gives a funding partner something concrete to review.
Chairs and dust collectors fit equipment financing, a larger suite's furniture and fixtures fit a term loan, and a thin month fits working capital. The chair and suite figures are invented; salon counts are Census CBP, ZBP and NES data.
Pedicure chairs, manicure tables and dust collectors a nail salon can finance
The equipment in a nail salon wears out on a schedule the owner can see coming. Pedicure chairs lose jets and upholstery, manicure tables crack and wear out, and a dust collector at each manicure station is a purchase with a clear quote. Because each item has a serial number and a price, it can serve as the collateral for its own financing, which is how equipment financing works: the payments run over a term close to the useful life of the chair or unit.
Illustration only, invented figures: 4 pedicure chairs at $5,200 each plus a $7,400 set of manicure tables and dust collectors come to $28,200. On a 48-month term at a 12% annual rate, each monthly payment is $742.61. Forty-eight of those payments sum to $35,645.28, so the interest over the term is $7,445.28.
A quote that lists each chair model, each table and dust collector, and the installation charge separately helps here: a partner can see which part is equipment and which part is labor.
Moving into a larger suite: a nail salon loan for stations and furniture
A move into a larger suite is a different kind of cost. The landlord owns the space, and the salon furnishes it: manicure stations, technician stools, guest seating, a reception desk, polish racks and freestanding signs. That package has no single serial number to secure, so it fits a term loan sized to the furnishing budget. Plumbing, lighting, flooring and wall finishes are building work, and buying a building is a real estate purchase; this site arranges neither.
Illustration only, invented figures: a $36,000 suite furnishing package financed at an annual rate of 13%. The table compares two terms; each total is the rounded monthly payment times the number of months.
| Term | Monthly payment | Sum of all payments | Interest in that sum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 months | $965.79 | $46,357.92 | $10,357.92 |
| 72 months | $722.67 | $52,032.24 | $16,032.24 |
The 72-month term lowers the monthly payment by $243.12 and adds $5,674.32 of interest. Before choosing, compare the payment with the lease term: a loan that runs past the end of the lease leaves the salon paying for a suite it may have left. Ask the landlord in writing what the tenant improvement allowance pays for, since the suite's build-out is landlord work and not part of the sum to finance.
Covering technician payroll in a month with fewer bookings
Technicians are paid on the payroll calendar whether the appointment book is full or not. In a month with fewer bookings, the gap between what the chairs bring in and what the salon owes is the number that matters.
Illustration only, invented figures: a salon with two payrolls of $7,100 in the month, $4,800 of rent, $5,400 of polish, gel, liners and other supplies, and $3,100 of insurance and card fees owes $27,500. Bookings bring in $21,000. The shortfall is $6,500.
That figure, not a round number picked in advance, is the amount to bring to a working capital conversation. If the same shortfall appears every few months, a revolving line that is drawn and paid down can fit better than a lump sum.
What a lender asks a Lexington, SC salon owner to show
A funding partner reviewing a salon can ask for a short set of records. Having them on hand shortens the back and forth:
- Bank statements for the last several months, showing deposits and the payroll debits.
- Statements from the card processor, with each day's card sales listed.
- Booking software reports: revenue by service and by technician, and how full the calendar runs.
- The current lease, plus the proposed lease or letter of intent for a new suite.
- Itemized quotes for chairs, tables and the suite furniture.
- A year-to-date profit and loss statement, plus the salon's latest business tax return.
- Owner identification and the names of everyone who owns part of the salon.
The county figures put the trade in context. In Lexington County, SC there were 18 establishments under Nail Salons (NAICS 812113) with paid employees in 2023, and all 18 had fewer than five employees (Census County Business Patterns). ZIP 29072 held 3 establishments under Nail Salons (NAICS 812113) that year (ZIP Code Business Patterns).
Census Nonemployer Statistics count a separate group: 453 establishments under Nail Salons (NAICS 812113) in Lexington County, SC had no paid employees in 2024. More on the wider trade, including beauty salons, is on the salon funding page.
By Rowanleaf Lenders · Updated
