Left to right: Chamber Board Member Kelen Beardsley, nail technician Olivia Gould, New Nails owner Alaura Hewey, Shannon’s Upscale Resale owner Shannon Benton, Chamber Second Vice President Amanda Moore, Chamber Director Caitlin Christiana
On Wednesday, December 13th, the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce was thrilled to perform a ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome Shannon’s Upscale Resale and Alaura’s New Nails to downtown Springfield. Recently under new ownership, New Nails has received a beautiful bright pink facelift and a lot of traffic so far. Owner Alaura Hewey took over the salon and opened on September 1st, soon followed by the opening of the gently-used clothing shop next door. Shannon’s Upscale Resale officially opened for business on November 11th. The two stores complement each other fantastically, and create a little pampering and shopping destination that the community has been enthusiastic to embrace.
Born and raised in Springfield, Shannon Benton moved away for about nine years, but inevitably found her way back home. “I have always loved fashion. I subscribe to a number of magazines. I like to see how others put together outfits and try to replicate that with what I own. I also love shopping at thrift stores. I have found some of my favorite articles of clothing at thrift stores. I happen to be in a store up
North with my sister-in-law and thought, “Springfield needs something like this.” That’s how the store was conceived.” Benton is a loyal fan of Springfield. “I love my town! It’s a diamond in the rough just waiting to be polished.” Because she lives here in town, it was a natural place to locate her new business. “There are many great store fronts available in town, but I fell in love with One Main Street.” The location has a wrap-around window that lets in great light and is highly visible to drivers coming and going through town. The community has been very supportive, providing Benton with great feedback, advice, and sales. Many people from town donated clothing to help get her started. “I have been overwhelmed by the generosity,” she explains. “People are ready to see changes in Springfield, and I’m helping to make that happen.” Benton’s one employee is her mother. “She’s has been such a great help, I could not do this without her. I have a full time job at IVEK, so she mans the store while I’m there and is having fun meeting new people and helping women put outfits together.” The store offers upscale secondhand clothing for women, the main focus for now. The shop carries some high-end clothing and some major chain store items. The prices very affordable and the sizes range 2-20, providing something for everyone. “I am going to start adding jewelry to my offerings soon. And I will be starting to take
consignments in January/February. I would like to have fashion shows and other special events!”
Alaura Hewey grew up in New Jersey, but her family has a long history in Springfield. She actually graduated from Springfield High School (in 1993) as did both of her parents. With relatives that had been here for generations, Hewey says it was easy finding her way back from New Jersey to be with her family. After working for other salons for over twenty years, she felt as if it was time to take the plunge and try her hand (pun intended) at running her own business. She received much encouragement from family, friends, and her loyal clients. New Nails was an already established business and she felt it was a great location for exposure. “I remember how downtown Springfield was back in the 80s, when business was thriving in the downtown,” Hewey reminisced. “I’d like to see that again, and I feel that, by bringing one successful business at a time, we can bring business back to Springfield.” Hewey employs one full-time booth renter at this time, with plans to expand to at least one more. The salon offers regular, spa, and gel manicures, regular and spa pedicures, gel nails, acrylic nails, waxing, and they also offer Reiki and raindrop therapy by appointment. Hewey’s long-term goal for the future is to expand to at least four nail technicians to successfully meet the needs in area, and make sure they are able to accommodate every client that needs pampering.
Alaura’s New Nails and Shannon’s Upscale Resale are located at One Main Street in downtown Springfield. To stay informed about their offerings and events, be sure to Follow their pages on Facebook. The Chamber welcomes your businesses to the neighborhood!