Founded in 2021 by Olivia Orzhekh, Improva Beauty offers a unique experience for anyone seeking quality nail services. Having moved from Russia to America in 2019, Orzhekh was looking for a way to make an impact. “I wanted to bring something really good to America, something of my own to this country. And, since Russian beauticians are world famous and considered to be among the best, with nails as part of women’s self-care, a nail salon seemed like a good choice,” says Orzhekh.
Starting from scratch, Orzhekh took the time necessary to figure out best practices for creating and running her nail business in the most efficient way. Her research and determination, despite little experience, little support apart from her husband, minimal understanding of American culture and limited funds, she ran with her passion to make a difference.
Starting her own business came with significant challenges. “As an immigrant, it was difficult to get a business loan, so I had to find other ways to finance,” says Orzhekh. “Not a lot of nail salons care about nail health. Many of the services are still using banned materials, and clients are in and out with less than quality care. I wanted a company that cares about client health, maintenance of nails, nail goals, routines and lifestyle,” says Orzhekh.
From Orzhekh’s persistence and passion came Improva Beauty, a salon that puts safety at the forefront, using disposable tools and materials so clients feel they’re in a safe environment.
Although Orzhekh is Russian, she doesn’t want Improva to be ethnicity based. Rather, her desire is for the salon to be “more like Americans for Americans.” “The language our technicians speak is really important. If both are from America, it makes it easier for both sides to develop and build relationships,” says Orzhekh.
With a plethora of nail salons available on almost every corner, one that wishes to stand out must offer something different, something appealing, with good service, compassion and quality care.
Along with offering quality nail care for both women and men, Orzhekh hopes to branch out into educational training with the goal of “attracting more people to work with us, fresh licensed nail techs, apprentices, etc. There’s nothing like this salon in the Peninsula area, so we might like to open something in Williamsburg as well,” says Orzhekh.
Regardless of Improva’s future, Orzhekh says she’s proud the business is going well; “I feel like I’m doing something good,” she says. And when Orzhekh isn’t “doing good” in the salon, she has many hobbies to keep her busy, including spending time at the shooting range, learning new skills like ice skating, going to the gym and, hopefully, taking up piano lessons. Regardless of how she is busy, making an impact in life seems to be a common theme for Orzhekh.
