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Rosebud Photography<\/p>\nWinter Garden\u2019s Omairis Santiago originally is from Puerto Rico.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She moved in 2012 to Winter Garden and went searching for a nail technician to do her nails like she got them done on the island.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a girl over there, and she did my nails amazing,\u201d she said. \u201cI went looking for that, but I didn\u2019t find it. I went to a regular nail salon, and I didn\u2019t like the way they did my French (tips), so I called my husband crying, asking for a plane ticket to go back to Puerto Rico get my nails done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a moment of distress, she hopped on Google and searched for schools to obtain her nail technician license.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If no one else could do her nails the way she wanted them done, then she was going to learn to do them herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And she did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She went to school and earned her license, and along the way was offered a scholarship for esthetics, which she gladly accepted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve used that to my advantage because I\u2019m able to help others, which are pregnant moms on bed rest, diabetics, cancer patients, hospice patients, just people that are in need,\u201d Santiago said. \u201cI go to (seniors\u2019) homes, so I have a mobile kit inside my car.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What she didn\u2019t know is that obtaining her licenses would forever change her life \u2014 in more ways than one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rosebud Photography<\/p>\n
SURVIVOR\u2019S STORY<\/p>\n
Santiago had a difficult upbringing, and her teenage years were anything but easy. She quickly learned about \u00a0overcoming challenges and making sacrifices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At 15 years old, she was sexually assaulted and, soon after, was kicked out of her home because of her complicated relationship with her parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She began working as a waitress at Denny\u2019s to make a living.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t easy, but she never thought about giving up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t view herself as a victim but instead a survivor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI always hustled, I always had to find that next thing, you know,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to survive. I had to make sure I was OK by myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of letting those moments define her, she chose to accept it and give back to the community \u2014 those who helped her during her trying times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One way she does that is through her nail services, but she goes far beyond just nails.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she obtained her license, she wasn\u2019t looking to a start a business, but she said God always has a plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a group called the Winter Garden Moms, and I was added to the group,\u201d Santiago said. \u201cThere was a pregnant mom on there looking for mobile (nail) services \u2026 I was like, \u2018I got the basics, I can go do your nails for free.\u2019 The next day, I woke up with over 45 messages from different moms asking me to come to their homes and do their nails while their babies took naps because they had nobody there for them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Santiago quickly found comfort knowing she could be a helping hand to not only mothers in need but also any person who needs it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when Polished Artistry Co. was created.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like moving here from Puerto Rico was a blessing in disguise,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what was my calling, my plan or God\u2019s plan, right until I moved over here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Santiago believes her purpose is to help people, and she hopes to leave a positive impression on every client, community member and person she services.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGod has a plan, so either I\u2019m going to be learning from you, or you\u2019re going to be learning from me,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
BEYOND THE NAILS<\/p>\n
Her love for community service is far deeper than her love for anything else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her first year as a nail technician, her revenue totaled $7,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Santiago wasn\u2019t discouraged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soon, by word of mouth, her clients brought in more clients, and the following year, her revenue more than tripled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even then, it didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was never about the money but rather about helping those in need, making her clients feel comfortable and know they are never alone.<\/p>\n
One of her clients and now best friend, Laura Chin, has known Santiago since 2016.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chin found Santiago through a mom\u2019s group on Facebook.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son was just shy of being 1, and I was trying to find myself again,\u201d Chin said. \u201cI needed something to get me out of the house and feel like it was a splurge just for me. All the moms raved about her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her first appointment with Santiago was during her son\u2019s nap time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Santiago took her time explaining her services and set up appointments every three weeks at 8 p.m., after Chin\u2019s son was tucked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was willing to let me come Friday nights after I had put my son to bed,\u201d she said. \u201cIt became our dedicated rest time. She\u2019d do my nails, we\u2019d scroll (on) social media, watch something on TV and casually hang out \u2014 but we weren\u2019t best friends yet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The best friend status came in 2020, when Chin was pregnant with her daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Santiago was by Chin\u2019s side while Chin had been furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic and was worried about the logistics of having her parents coming to watch her son, her daughter being born and everything happening in the world, all while her husband still was working.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew how stubborn I could be and told me at my appointment that if I needed anything, I was to call her,\u201d Chin said. \u201cI brushed it off because that\u2019s just something everyone says and no one really follows through \u2014 especially when we were all social distancing. But the next day, when it was 2 a.m. and contractions were less than five minutes apart, I took her advice and I called her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Santiago showed her she wasn\u2019t just there for Chin\u2019s nail journey but her life journey, as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They raced down State Road 408, quickly arriving at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it didn\u2019t end there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Santiago returned to the Chin home to watch Chin\u2019s son so her husband could be with her at the hospital. While there, she also tidied up the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no one else I\u2019d rather have in my corner than Omairis,\u201d Chin said. \u201cAnd anyone in the community is blessed having her, as well. I see the lengths she goes through for local businesses, for Matthew\u2019s Hope, for Oakland and Winter Garden. She sacrifices a lot for her family and her business and her community, but she will always be up front to you about everything, and I truly appreciate that from her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the years of success, Santiago has credited her accomplishments not only to her hard work and dedication but also the clients who have supported her throughout the years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy clients are my friends,\u201d Santiago said. \u201cThere\u2019s a code on my door for people to come when they need a safe space, there are snacks in the refrigerator, water, TV.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the school year, Santiago even took her services to Illuminations Academy for Teacher Appreciation Day, providing hand massages to teachers who work with individuals with special needs. She provided hot-oil hand massages and goodie bags filled with eye and lip masks, bath bombs, sensory items and gift certificates.<\/p>\n
Santiago always is going above and beyond to make sure all clients are happy with their nails, even if they can\u2019t afford it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, I just want them to feel comfortable \u2014 even if they don\u2019t come back, because in that moment, I literally feel at home being able to help,\u201d she said. \u201cWe live in a society that you\u2019re being judged for what you wear, how you wear it. \u2026 I couldn\u2019t care less.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Being able to make women feel confident, comfortable and at home is what Santiago always is striving for, and those are the results she achieves each time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She currently is located at 301 N. Tubb St., Suite 113, Oakland, where she\u2019s been since 2024, offering services including gel overlays, manicures and pedicures, soak-offs, free nail consultations, nail transformations, diabetic pedicures, elderly pedicures and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t because of this business, I would\u2019ve never found my calling and my purpose,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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