Twenty years later, Fatima still laughs through work
By Shari Kaplan
For Fatima Atalik, owner of Los Gatos' oldest nail salon, the phrase "laughing all the way to the bank" is quite literally the way she has run her business for the past two decades, not to mention a major reason she's stayed in business this long.
There's just one correction to that old cliché: Fatima, as she prefers to be called, does not run Cultured Nails simply for the money. She runs it because it is an outlet for her lifelong love of making people happy.
The space the salon occupies at 227 N. Santa Cruz Ave. may be diminutive, but Fatima's personality makes up for it. An outgoing woman more likely to hug someone than shake her hand, she says her "girls"--the other manicurists who work for her--are initially surprised at the laid-back atmosphere of the salon, compared to others at which they have worked.
"They look at me kind of funny because I laugh all day long. By the time I get done, I'm exhausted!" Fatima says, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth--her jaw sometimes aches from all of its smiling, she admits.
Another reason new employees and new customers alike may be surprised is their discovery of pleasant music playing in the background and the presence of wine and hot coffee. "I come from a background where hospitality is very important," she explains. "I like people and I enjoy their company. When people come here, I feel like they are coming to my home."
Fatima's interest in people and their happiness began during her childhood. A native of Turkey--the Caucasus Mountains, to be exact--Fatima, her sister and her parents traveled throughout the Middle East in a professional dance troupe. For performances, the family donned various ethnic costumes and performed a variety of national and folk dances.
"It's in your blood; you have to love it, and then you pick it up as you go," she smiles. "We were just happy performers who lived from day to day. I was lucky in that I didn't know how poor we were."
The family eventually made their dream move to the United States, where Fatima and her family still performed. Her main goal, however, was studying for her cosmetologist's license. Once she earned it, she worked as a hairdresser and also managed a beauty salon. It wasn't until she was in New York and saw a manicurist doing an unusual demonstration with someone's nails that she decided to switch gears a bit.
"I saw that and I loved it. I decided to leave hairdressing and go into the nail business," she recalls. She began her career in Southern California, working for several nail salons and attending numerous seminars.
Another propitious visit, this time to Los Gatos, led Fatima to fall in love with the town and eventually to relocate here, after moving to San Mateo first. Her first local job was at the former Dorothy's Nails at 112 N. Santa Cruz Ave., now occupied by Maria's Antiques. She went into business for herself in 1980, running Cultured Nails from 215 N. Santa Cruz Ave. She moved to 227 about eight years ago.
In these 20 years, Fatima has seen and heard it all, from a young woman crying desperate tears because one of her curved, 12-inch long nails had broken; to the simultaneous appearance in the salon of two women unaware of their unusual common bond--they were the wife and mistress of the same man!
In the former situation, Fatima sculpted a new acrylic nail by hand to perfectly match the girl's other nine. In the latter, Fatima says--her eyes twinkling, she simply minded her own business.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
