The mother-daughter nail tech duo celebrating 21 years of salon success
By Jess Watts | 31 October 2026 | Featured, Techs & Salons
Twenty-one years ago, Abigail Hynes opened the first dedicated nail salon on Earby high street, Lancashire. Since then, the salon has moved and evolved into a garden space. As Abigail celebrates this milestone anniversary, she reflects on a passion for nails that began at 14 – and led to her opening her own salon and working alongside her mum…
“My interest in nails started long before I became a nail technician,” says Abigail, owner of Lancashire salon, The Nail Studio – Garden Retreat. “My aunt was the first nail technician in our town, and a huge inspiration when I grew up in the ’90s.”
With her aunt as her guide, Abigail began attending beauty shows from a young age. “She took me to my first Professional Beauty North show in Manchester when I was just 14,” Abigail reveals. “There, I met Greg Salo from Young Nails and immediately fell in love with his passion for nails.”
After leaving school in 2002, Abigail enrolled on an NVQ Nail Services course at her local college, and trained with Young Nails in acrylic and E-filing. Two years later, she expanded her expertise through Bio Sculpture training, adding more knowledge and techniques to her growing skill set.
“More than 20 years on, I’m incredibly proud to still love and use both Young Nails and Bio Sculpture,” Abigail says.
A family affair
In 2005, Abigail’s mum, Dawn Kirkbride, noticed a ‘to let’ sign in the window of an empty toy shop on Earby high street. “Just four weeks after viewing it, The Nail Studio opened its doors,” Abigail shares. “I was even featured in Scratch that year, which felt incredibly exciting for a 17-year-old who had just started her own business.”
Within months, demand was becoming too much for Abigail to handle on her own, so she decided to bring in some help. “I felt far too young to become an employer,” she admits. “My mum – the woman I have always admired and trusted most, was working in an office, so I suggested she quit, retrain and join me. Thankfully, she said yes!”
The pair worked alongside each other at The Nail Studio for 15 years, building a loyal clientele which they refer to as their ‘nail family’. Then the pandemic hit, bringing an unexpected turning point in their story.
A new chapter
Like many businesses, The Nail Studio team used the COVID-19 pandemic to rethink its way of working. “We had time to step back and make some big changes,” Abigail explains. “We decided to take a leap of faith, transforming a detached garage at my mum’s house into a beautiful salon. And just like that, The Nail Studio – Garden Retreat was born.”
Tucked away in Dawn’s ‘secret garden’, The Nail Studio – Garden Retreat draws inspiration from its natural surroundings. “The woodland feel, greenery, flowers and natural surroundings have all become part of the experience,” Abigail says. “Being away from the busy high street offers clients something completely different: a private retreat surrounded by nature.”
She continues: “Beautiful blooms and artistic creativity are at the heart of the space, and my dad hand-painted an incredible woodland sunrise mural that immerses clients in nature.”
Are you enjoying this content?
Join our community to receive more like this
Salon services
Over the years, The Nail Studio – Garden Retreat has welcomed a handful of talented nail technicians. But things have come full circle, as the mother-daughter duo now makes up the salon team.
“There’s something very special about being mother and daughter, but also best friends,” Abigail comments. “We know each other inside out and have different strengths that complement one another. I don’t think anything quite compares to the superpower that is a mother-daughter team that genuinely loves working together.”
The pair offers a carefully curated menu of treatments, including Bio Sculpture gel manicures, Young Nails acrylic enhancements, luxurious Elim pedicures and a variety of nail art.
“We love keeping up with the latest nail trends and techniques, but always add a personal, colourful twist,” Abigail says. “Our favourite designs are those that combine colour, patterns and hand-painted details – particularly floral, abstract and marbling looks. We love creating something that feels individual to the client, while being wearable.”
For Abigail, it’s the lasting relationships with clients that make the salon so special. “We’ve watched people grow, get married, have children, change careers and go through huge chapters in their lives,” she says. “The Garden Retreat feels like an extension of us: our personalities, our family, our love of colour and nature, and of course, our passion for nails.”
Future focus
After 21 years of success, Abigail says that she and her mum have one main goal: “To keep doing what we love and making the most of the time we have together.
“With retirement on the distant horizon for Mum, I want to treasure this special chapter of working alongside her,” Abigail states. “We’ll keep learning, evolving and staying true to the things that have always mattered to us: quality, creativity, natural nail health and genuinely caring about our clients.”
She continues: “We’re incredibly proud of the business we’ve built, the environment we’ve created, the nails we have transformed into mini pieces of art and, most of all, the huge nail family we’ve gained along the way. We want to simply continue enjoying it together for as long as the time is right.”
Follow The Nail Studio – Garden Retreat on Instagram & Facebook.
Do you want your business featured on Scratch’s platforms? Submit your salon or setup via bit.ly/salonspotlight.
