For Yana Liesnichenko, what started as a solitary COVID hobby became the catalyst for a thriving community. Today, her business, Mavka Nail Salon in Shadyside, is “based on friendship,” she says.
Mavka Nail Salon Brings Rubber Manicures and Personality to Shadyside
“We were locked down,” in 2020, “so I started doing my own nails just for fun,” she says.
At the time, Liesnichenko was relatively new to the United States. She had left Ukraine about a year before and brought with her a love of rubber manicures. The technique uses a rubber base; unlike styles such as acrylic and gel, rubber bends and doesn’t lift or snap off. It’s particularly good for people who have weak or split nails, Liesnichenko says.
Even though rubber manicures have been popular in Europe for 20 years, no one in Pittsburgh was doing them. Liesnichenko hadn’t received cosmetology training in Ukraine — she had been a teacher — but it still didn’t take long for her nails to start garnering attention.
“One of my friends said, ‘Oh, my god, your nails always look great. Where are you going to get your nails done?’” she recalls. The friend referred Liesnichenko to a salon, where she could work while attending cosmetology school to obtain her license. Her sister, Anastasia, and one of her best friends wound up working there as well.
Connection and Service
In early March of this year, the trio opened Mavka Nail Salon above Kelly’s Bar. (Mavka is a Ukrainian forest goddess whose name means “spirit of nature.”) They are the first in Pittsburgh to specialize in rubber manicures; they also offer waterless pedicures.
The team prioritizes connection. “We’re trying to build a relationship with the clients. It’s not like most of the salons, where you’re in and out.” Liesnichenko says that 97% of people who come in are repeat customers, including her very first client from the previous salon.
“It’s like a little community,” she says. “They come in here, they meet each other, they talk, they share advice.” It’s so lovely and lively that Liesnichenko would like to start hosting intentional gatherings as well.
Part of that desire, she says, comes from the difficulty of meeting new people and making friends in your 30s — especially in a new country. “Having [an] amazing community and incredibly supportive people is the rewarding part. I wasn’t even expecting that.”
Story by Amy Whipple
Photo Courtesy of Mavka Nail Salon