Nailicious owner Mimozi Jani (contributed photo).
ANSONIA – Families looking for a colorful way to celebrate their daughter’s next birthday can now book a ‘hot pink party bus’ thanks to a new business in town.
‘Nailicious Little Divas’ is a mobile party bus that hosts manicure and pedicure parties for kids ages four to 12.
Owner Mimoza Jani, an Ansonia resident, debuted the new business on June 8. The bus caters to birthday parties, slumber parties, holiday parties, playdates or ‘simply just because’ events.
“It’s something fun, something different. It’s hard for parents to find different ideas for kids’ birthday parties. This is something cool and another option instead of Chuck E. Cheese or the mall,” Jani told The Valley Indy.
Jani is from Staten Island and moved to Ansonia in 2002. She’s a 2005 graduate of Emmett O’Brien Technical High School, where she first learned cosmetology.
In 2013 she opened a beauty salon in Staten Island. In 2020, amid the Covid pandemic, the salon closed, and Jani moved back to Ansonia to start a family. She got a job working in a salon, but wanted more.
“I always wanted to do a business like this, but I kept pushing it off to the side,” Jani said.
Jani said her two-year-old daughter, Alora, was the inspiration she needed to open Nailicious Little Divas. With $35,000, she invested in a bus and had it fitted with a custom-made hot pink wrap.
“She’s my little diva,” Jani said. “And being a girl mom, I know girls love glittery things, having their nails done and doing dance parties.”
Jani said the bus will travel to anywhere in Connecticut for a party.
The mani and pedi parties run 90 minutes to two hours, depending on which party package parents choose. The party guests are treated to games and activities aboard the bus while they await having their nails painted in flashy colors and emblazoned with glitter and gems.
“We make bracelets, too and have a karaoke machine on the bus where the girls can sing to their favorite songs,” Jani said. “We have a TV onboard and play a slideshow of the birthday girl, which is really cute. Then we do a dance party afterward.”
One mom, Samone Russell, of Naugatuck, booked Nailicious for her daughter NinaSimone’s seventh birthday in late June.
“What an awesome experience for little girls such as my daughter and her friends to be pampered on a private bus filled with glamour, games and music while getting their nails done,” Russell told the Valley Indy via a text message.
Available packages, which range from $650 for a 90-minute session to $800 for a two-hour session, can be found online. Bookings can be made through the company’s email address ([email protected]) or phone number at 646 – 966-2151.
