“You can only go as far as you limit yourself,” says Marinela Santos, owner of Polished by Her. Throughout her growth as a businesswoman, that motto has held her in good stead.

Two weeks ago, she opened her new nail salon at 87 E. Broad Street in Bethlehem. “I spent three years on the South Side as a solo nail technician,” she says. “A space had opened up where an old barbershop used to be, and my fiancé Tommy Figueroa and I looked at it. He surprised me by signing and bringing me the lease.”

In February, Santos took a deep breath and with the help of Figueroa, three daughters, her parents, and in-laws, started the process of finding a new place to expand her business.

“It took three months to move here,” Santos says. “The inspectors were really backed up but Bethlehem City Councilwoman Olga Negrón, a family friend I’ve known for 20 years, and PA Rep. Steve Samuelson helped me to expedite things. It was hard paying rent on two places at the same time.”

The journey to owning her own business wasn’t easy, says Santos. “I was making minimum wage, and then I had my third daughter. Finances were tough, and we lost our apartment. We lived with my parents for a while and my in-laws, and all along I knew I had more to offer.

“I always enjoyed doing nails, but I didn’t have money to go to school. I asked my dad for a loan so I could get my kit and attend school through Bethlehem Vo-tech’s adult program. When I graduated, I worked at a salon in Coopersburg during the day and then I went to my overnight job,” she says.

“It was hard. I had no time for my family, and I had promised my dad that when he lent me the money, I would establish my own nail salon. That’s when Tommy went behind my back to rent out that space in South Bethlehem, which forced me to become a business owner.

“He believed in me,” says Santos.

She is proud that they opened her first salon and her new location without taking out loans. “We used our income tax returns to fund both businesses,” she says.

“It is still challenging sometimes,” she says, “because I’m not home more with the kids and that saddens me. My workload is still heavy, and it dips into family time.”

Santos has hired two employees who also specialize in nail art.

Monica Albino moved to Hellertown six months ago after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, her home. “Marinela and I have been Facebook friends for a few years,” says Albino. “I visited her before, and the hurricane pushed me to move here. I had to close my own nail salon [in Puerto Rico], and I lost everything, so this is bittersweet. But I’m excited to be here and work with Marinela and Cathy.”

Albino specializes in two-tone acrylic and 3D designs. “You can build a sculpture on nails. I always viewed cosmetology as a hobby, but I realized I could make more money doing it than what I’d gone to school for,” she says. Albino has also started to develop her own acrylic nail system line.

Cathy Gutierrez doesn’t mind making the 45-minute trip from Stroudsburg to work in the salon. “I started following Marinela on Instagram four years ago,” says Gutierrez. “She posted an ad that she was hiring a nail technician, so I emailed her immediately, and we just connected.

“I’m excited to be working in this new space,” she says. “I’ve been working in a full-service salon that does hair, waxing, and nails, so I’m excited to learn and grow and work with other nail techs.”

Gutierrez specializes in general nail art that includes pictures and designs. She says her favorite request came from a customer who wanted Lilo and Stitch on her nails.

The salon exudes a fresh, fun vibe. “I wanted to go for a mermaid style,” says Santos, “but more of a classy mermaid than a kid’s mermaid look.

“Much of the shop features handmade things. It’s been my pride and joy through all the late nights. I love sea-related stuff, and I think in my next life I’ll come back as a mermaid.”

Santos kept the name of her business when she moved, but updated the logo with the help of high-school friend and graphic designer Claudette Class. “The name popped up in a dream and it just fit. Claudette redesigned the logo by hand, and I think it’s perfect.

“I couldn’t have accomplished all this without my family’s help,” says Santos. “My brother brags about me in his own tattoo parlor. My mom [Maria del Carmen] loves to decorate, so she helped a lot. My dad [Geradro Santos] would drop everything and come to help whenever I called. My father-in-law [Antonio Figueroa] and I collaborated to redesign the nail stations. He was totally on board, and he really did a lot with the measuring and making sure everything was just right. My mother-in-law [Minerva Pérez] and my mom both helped out a lot watching my three daughters.

“I’m just so grateful to have this support system. I am successful because of them,” Santos says.

If you’d like to make an appointment, you can call Polished by Her at 484-935-5328 or reach out to Santos on the salon’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Polishedbyher/.