We had the good fortune of connecting with Toni Walker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Toni, how does your business help the community?
My business helps the community by shining light on an area that isn’t common or talked about a lot especially in the black community , Nail health + care. For years we’ve spent tons of money in salons where health isn’t a priority so me choosing to educate & shine light on these areas really makes a difference to clients as well as peers and anyone else who will listen. There’s a lot of talk about health relating to foods nowadays but the things we also put on our bodies are also just as important. There is a lot of chemicals people are exposed to when visiting certain salons. Nail health is important, I’m very careful when choosing products and making sure Im not using anything toxic. There’s no smells when I’m servicing clients and that usually shocks people. Down to the cuticle and hand care I educate daily. I have a cuticle butter and oil line that I make and all my clients use it, it’s an essential part of their self-care and daily routine now. All made with the best quality oils and ingredients. Educating people on hand and nail care is important to me, while also providing a safe space for women and men to unwind and feel ok with asking questions about the services they’re receiving. Beauty time for a lot of woman is there time to themselves away from kids, work , etc. So I make sure to create this space very mindfully with all these woman and men in mind, somedays its a therapy session for them others it just may be a time for them to watch a good show and just be.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Art has always been apart of my life since I can remember. Some of my earliest memories in school are experiences in art class, it’s something that has allowed me to express myself and feels therapeutic. I’ve explored many different medias from sewing, set design, photography etc. Ive always just loved making things with my hands & I’m still to this day exploring and learning different mediums. When it came to nails at first I didn’t know what I was getting myself into but something drew me in, I enjoyed the process of learning something new. Once I started doing nails I immediately fell in love with how it allowed me to connect with people, human connection is something I absolutely love. Im such a curious person I love to learn new things, help people and just connect. Being able to do that with many people each day was so rewarding to me. Then as soon as I got into the nail art part of it, it all made sense. I got to combine both of those worlds and make something out of it. When Im doing nails it takes me to that therapeutic calm place where art has always taken me. It’s been cool to be able to combine my different worlds into one place such as bringing together photography, set design, etc. to create content for the nails. I don’t believe in being put in “boxes ” when it comes to art so I only plan to continue to explore and grow with different mediums.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
i’m still pretty new here! so please share some spots with me as well – i’ll do my best!

Friday

– morning walk at westside park
– coffee shop work date at coffee man blandstown
– lunch at flower child
– dinner at eight sushi
– listen & chill at stereo

Saturday

-bike ride & picnic at piedmont park
– high museum
-dinner at ruby chows
– relax on rooftop of hotel clermont

Sunday

– coffee date at spiller park on marietta (the best staff!)
-dekalb farmers market
-lunch +explore at the works
– tapas and chill at palo santo rooftop

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a shoutout to Vanessa Blanco (@blessedbyblanco) ! She got me my first job as a nail tech, she’s the best in the 757!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tough.as.nails

Other: tik tok- @tough.as.nails / @tonianastaciaa pintrest- @toughasnails

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.