Tinisha Neckles: Owner of Bartonex Barton

JAMES DUPRAJ

The irrepressible Tinisha Neckles is an entrepreneur with passion. The owner of Bartonex Barton, a nail and eyelash salon located at Southern Plaza, Cunupia, says she started her business with her husband with just $100 in hand.

“I’ve always wanted to do this job, I’ve loved it from as long as I could remember,” says the entrepreneur about her passion for the work she does. A lover of the arts and natural products, such as clothing, hikes in nature and camping, flora and fauna, and animals like birds, crocodiles, and rare spiders, she uses all the tools and inspirations at her disposal in her professional life.

“What I think sets Bartonex apart from others is our down-to-earth hospitality and our flexibility; any of our clients can pop in for a free ‘touch up’ on any of our jobs,” she says about the excellent customer service that keeps her clientele coming back.

“We treat everyone like family and we always have a special treat for our clients; our customers are given a selection of artistic choices so they feel pleased with the job.”

Serving both walk-in customers as well as by appointment, Tinisha says her salon does not turn away clients and strives to offer reasonable prices and services as it relates to their high quality work. She comments customers always express their satisfaction and pleasure after being tended to.

“We let them direct the show because we want them to leave happy,” she describes the salon’s dedicated service to tending to their clients’ specific wishes.

In Tinisha’s eyes, personal grooming and beauty is not only beneficial aesthetically, but to the mind as well. “When you look good, you feel good,” she repeats the age-old adage, adding that there is an alarming amount of microscopic germ cells hidden in the creases of our fingers and toes that can contribute to bad body odour and decaying skin, which may be an overlooked fact to many.

“Most of our clients love treating themselves to our simple – yet effective – manicures, pedicures, and nail jobs because it picks them up when they are feeling dispirited,” she adds, highlighting the ways her salon is able to lift the spirits of their clients.

Together with great conversation, attention to detail and customer care, and a calm and relaxed atmosphere, the Bartonex salon puts clients at ease, which is one of Tinisha’s proud calling cards. She describes her customers as civil-minded, elder folks with a sense of love and care for themselves, and the young and vibrant. Her clientele is varied and includes pastors, doctors, teachers, taxi drivers, as well as members of the protective services who are offered special discounts as a show of gratitude for their services and dedication to our nation’s forward movement.

“We opened our store out of love, passion, and a drive to provide excellent service,” she says, explaining that it is in this vein that the store has continued to see their clients’ needs met. It also doesn’t hurt that she is able to be her own boss, set her work schedule, and have time to spend nurturing her family, as well as “Jesus time” as she affectionately refers to her reverence of her faith.

“I encourage anyone to learn a trade that they love, and love what they do, so they never have to ‘work’ a day in their life,” urges the businesswoman to other budding entrepreneurs.

A self-taught beauty technician who started her journey at the age of 17, she knows a thing or two about perseverance and self-sufficiency in the face of life’s hardships and setbacks. After receiving certification in her field, it was only onward and upward for Tinisha, who always dreamed of providing for her family in a sustainable manner.

She also believes in using her business to give back to her community, and part of this social responsibility sees five percent of Bartonex’s monthly income being donated to missionary work at her church.

“This line of work has always been my passion,” she says, “and I had to seize the moment to do what I love. And I’ve never looked back!”