Tootsies the Nail Shoppe

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One morning, while waiting for her nails to dry, a regular noticed an old shoebox sitting in plain sight on the shop counter. Curious, she opened it and found a collection of mismatched buttons, each one with a tiny note attached: 'Wish granted.' Smiling, she took out a button shaped like a heart and read the note: ‘Your car won’t break down today.’ Sure enough, when she left the shop, her engine purred like new. Later that day, a delivery driver stopped by and asked if she’d seen his missing glove—on the very same counter, next to a button reading: “Finders keepers!”

2. While sipping coffee and reading the newspaper one morning, a regular overheard two nail technicians whispering about strange footprints appearing overnight on the shop’s floor. Curious, he approached the counter just as another technician emerged from the backroom, holding a tiny pair of scissors. ‘Oh no,’ she said, “It’s happening again! The baby shoes won’t stay put.” Turns out, someone had left their adorable newborn’s footwear in the shop, and every night, little feet were rearranging them for fun.

3. While browsing through old photos on her phone, a regular suddenly froze—was that her elementary school teacher giving a thumbs-up from behind the manicurist's chair? Another customer—a delivery driver—leaned in curiously and whispered, ‘Wait, isn’t that Mrs. Johnson, our fifth-grade teacher?’ The woman giggled, shaking her head, as she realized they were both imagining things. Tootsie just smiled knowingly and said, “Imagination’s free here!”

4. While sipping latte and catching up on social media, a regular wondered aloud: why does every new employee here seem to know exactly where Tootsie keeps her favorite pens? Curious, our regular approached Tootsie herself during her coffee break. ‘You’ve got some kind of secret stash?’ she teased. With a twinkle in her eye, Tootsie replied, ‘Oh no, hon, they’re just my lucky charms!’ And everyone laughed—except maybe the next poor soul who forgot to ask for those elusive pens.’