Customer Success Story
How Saunders and James Built a Multi-Location, Client-First Nail Studio Business With Boulevard
- Locations
- 2
- Boulevard customer
- since 2019
- Industry
- Nail Care & Beauty Studio
- Website
- Saunders and James
Key Takeaways
- Saunders and James increased appointments 53% and services 50%, while cutting late cancellations 57%.
- Requiring card details and clear cancellation policies at booking significantly reduced no-shows and late cancellations.
- Detailed client profiles let providers track preferences like polish color or sensitive cuticles, keeping service personal at scale.
- Boulevard’s multi-location support helped founder Michelle Saunders get her second studio, Duo Nail Studio, self-managing within a few weeks.
Introduction
Michelle Saunders learned the nail business from her mother, who ran a small salon out of their home. That early apprenticeship grew into a career serving an A-list clientele across Los Angeles and San Francisco before Michelle relocated to Oakland and opened Saunders and James, a nail care and beauty studio built around personalized service.
In 2024, she opened a second location, Duo Nail Studio, extending the same client-first model to a new market.
Less talk,
more proof
- 57%
- Decrease in late cancellations
- 53%
- Increase in appointments
- 50%
- Increase in services
- 15%
- Increase in gratuities
The Challenge: Scaling a Personalized Nail Studio Across Multiple Locations
Growing from a single studio to two locations meant Michelle needed a way to keep service personal at scale. Without detailed client profiles, providers risked losing track of preferences like polish color or sensitive cuticles that made the Saunders and James experience feel tailored to each client.
Missed appointments and late cancellations were another persistent drain on revenue, and Michelle needed a system that could enforce clear policies without making booking feel transactional. As Duo Nail Studio opened, she also needed her second location to run independently, without pulling her attention away from Saunders and James.
The Solution: Salon Management Software Built for Multi-Location Growth
Michelle turned to Boulevard’s salon management software to give both studios a shared operational backbone. Detailed client profiles keep every provider working from the same preferences, so service still feels personal even as the business grows.
Requiring card details and clear cancellation policies at booking cut down on no-shows and late cancellations, while Boulevard’s multi-location support let Duo Nail Studio become self-managing within a few weeks of opening — giving Michelle the confidence to keep expanding.
How We Helped
- Next-level customer service
- Client profiles let providers track preferences like polish color and sensitive cuticles for consistent, personal service.
- Timing is everything
- Editable appointment timing lets providers maximize their schedules as their skills improve.
- Always bookable
- Optimized scheduling plus text messaging keeps the calendar full, even filling last-minute gaps.
- Fewer missed appointments
- Requiring card details and cancellation policies at booking reduced no-shows and cancellations.
- Smoother checkout
- Cards on file made checkout easier during the pandemic and increased gratuities.
- Fostering feedback
- Clients can give feedback as soon as their receipt arrives, letting Saunders respond quickly to any issues.
- Support you can count on
- Boulevard’s support center, chat, and Academy give Saunders help whenever she needs it.
- Expansion-ready
- Multi-location support helped Duo Nail Studio become self-managing within a few weeks of opening.
Saunders and James
“Boulevard meets me where my business is. It allows me to provide the level of service my clients expect while also supporting my team and helping them grow. And it makes running multiple locations so much easier!”
Looking Ahead
With Duo Nail Studio running smoothly, Michelle is focused on refining the client experience at both studios and exploring where a third location could work. Having proven that Boulevard’s nail salon software can support a growing, multi-location business, she’s ready to keep scaling on the same foundation.
