Former bartender slays Binghamton's nail art scene

(BINGHAMTON, N.Y.) Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, ‘Kat Proctor’ of Pretty Kitty Nails has managed to become one of the busiest and most successful nail techs in Binghamton in a short amount of time.

Proctor said she fell in love with nail art from social media videos back in 2015. When nail salons were forced to close during the Covid-19 pandemic, Proctor started customizing press-on nails for herself as a substitute for the typical sets she would have gotten at the salon.

After showcasing her nails on social media, people began requesting that Proctor sell them. 

Prior to becoming a nail tech, Proctor was a well-known bartender, tending to a multitude of bars across town. She attributes her time as a bartender as the secret ingredient to her success. 

“Everyone already knew who I was and followed me on social media, so when I started doing nails it was really easy for me to get clients,” Proctor said. 

She would go on to sell over 200 sets of nails within just a couple of months.

Following the success of the press-on sales, Proctor said it was time to perfect her craft. Having spent time in Florida a few years before, Proctor leaned on bonds she had built with nail techs there during quarantine times. One tech took Proctor under her wing virtually, providing her with further nail tech training online. 

By August 2020, while still working a full-time job, Proctor decided to take a swing at the nail business and opened her chair to potential clients. Pretty Kitty Nails was an instant hit.

Six months later, Proctor was in high demand. She quit her job and pursued Pretty Kitty Nails full time. In 2022, Proctor left her basement setup behind to team up with successful make-up artist and photographer, Marrissa Howe, at The Place Beauty Parlor. 

And Proctor wasn't done making moves yet. This year, Pretty Kitty Nails relocated to a suite in Shuna’s Hair Studio, one of the longest standing Black businesses in the City of Binghamton. 

Owned by Rashuna Durham, Shuna’s Hair Studio is an award-winning, luxury salon with an impeccable reputation for customer service and a rather high-end clientele. That being said, Proctor sees the change as an opportunity not only to gain new clients, but also opportunity to become a better businesswoman. 

“It’s nice working next to such a powerful woman," Proctor said. "They say you should put yourself in rooms with people you aspire to be like." 

In reflection, Proctor said she is often in awe of her journey with Pretty Kitty Nails, describing it as 'surreal'. 

“Sometimes it feels fake," Proctor said. "I’m so humbly thankful for how smooth things have gone and how far I’ve come in the matter of three short years.”

The Pretty Kitty Nails experience comes complete with a full spa treatment including a hot towel, hand massage and sugar scrub lather. 

Proctor slays about seven clients a day, four days a week; leaving three days open for the hustling nail tech to balance self-care and motherhood. 

“Leaving my 9-5 and being my own boss has made me a better mom," Proctor said. "Before, I didn't have any flexibility. Now my son is my first priority and I'm able to mold my world around his."

As for the future, Proctor said she doesn’t have any extravagant plans for expansion in a larger nail salon with more employees, rather Proctor enjoys the intimate suite setting where she is able to build one on one relationships and engage with her clients. 

You can check out Pretty Kitty Nails and book a consultation with Kat herself on Facebook here.