Courean Napolitano still remembers 10 years ago when she sold her car to get the money together to lease a business space in the Magnolia Village and launch the Vixen Day Spa and Boutique.
It was a dream come true for Napolitano. In fact, she had a vision for the space Vixen now occupies five years before it was available. But there was one little snag: Napolitano had a background in skin care and nails, while the landlord wanted a retail business.
Napolitano wasn’t going to let her lack of retail knowledge hold her back. So, she decided to simply combine the two businesses.
“I told the landlord I would do retail, but my intention was skin care and nails,” Napolitano said. “I learned to become a retailer very fast because that’s what he wanted.”
The result is the Vixen Day Spa and Boutique, a unique blend of retail products, as well as skin and nail care services. Napolitano tends to do things in her own unique way. For instance, her business cards describe her as the business “Proprietress and Aesthetician.”
Looking back after 10 years in business, Napolitano acknowledges that it was a learning experience in the beginning. She remembers that when it came time to launch the business, she had about two weeks to get the women’s clothing and accessories together for the retail side. Napolitano said she started off by buying samples from vendors. But Napolitano said that whatever she put in the store window would quickly sell, forcing her to head back and buy more from the vendors.
However, she quickly got the hang of the retail business and today is able to balance out her managerial responsibilities and her love of treating her clients.
“My goal has always been to make women look and feel beautiful,” Napolitano said.
Helping women beautify themselves is not Napolitano’s only passion in life. She has also become involved in creating community activities that showcase the Magnolia Village.
“Beyond the four walls of my own business, my interest is beautifying Magnolia,” Napolitano said.
She wants to help spruce up Magnolia in hopes that more people will be attracted to the community that she loves. She has many ideas that she believes will help Magnolia become a destination location along the lines of Madison Park.
“I have a vision for [Magnolia] and I’d like to see it change,” Napolitano said.
Four years ago Napolitano got together with a group of other Magnolia merchants to begin planning for events that they thought would help promote and beautify the Magnolia area. The most recent event they helped develop was the Magnolia FallFest Artwalk. The free event combined art, artists and live music throughout the village. The event turned out to be a major success and a delightful evening in the Magnolia Village. Napolitano was the chair of the event and organized all the marketing.
Napolitano’s next project is putting together a WinterFest celebration in the village. Napolitano will again be acting as chair. The event is aimed at kicking off the holiday shopping season and will, again, combine live music being played outdoors. She is planning to close West McGraw Street for a few blocks through the village, so people can move freely between shops and musical groups. And, who knows? Maybe a few will even be moved to do the two-step on West McGraw.
“My whole goal is to have dancing in the streets of Magnolia,” Napolitano said.
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