Cliffport Business Capital, a small-business funding service in Galveston, TX, explains funding for beauty salons, nail salons and barber shops: stations and chairs, buildouts, buying an existing salon and what opening a barber shop involves, with Galveston County, TX salon counts and no-payroll firm figures.
| Beauty salons, county (2023) | 67 |
|---|---|
| Nail salons (2023) | 26 |
| Beauty salons with no payroll (2024) | 1,030 |
| Nail salons with no payroll (2024) | 447 |
| Barber shops with no payroll (2024) | 197 |
Salon Employers and No-Payroll Firms in Galveston County, TX
Galveston County, TX had 67 beauty salons with employees in 2023 (County Business Patterns 2023). Separately, 1,030 beauty salon firms reported no payroll in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024). For nail salons the counts were 26 employers (County Business Patterns 2023) and 447 firms without payroll (Nonemployer Statistics 2024). The two programs measure different businesses in different years and are not compared here.
For an owner-run salon, a partner may look at personal credit and at business bank statements kept separate from personal ones.
Four Steps to Funding a Salon
- Decide what the money buys: stations, a buildout, products or a purchase.
- Gather quotes and six months of statements.
- Separate business and personal accounts if you have not already.
- Submit it; a partner reads it and rules on it.
Stations, Chairs and Equipment
Hydraulic chairs, shampoo bowls, dryers, pedicure spas and ventilation for nail work fit equipment financing. Pedicure spas with plumbing can be bundled with the buildout.
Budgeting a Barber Shop Opening
This site does not publish cost figures. The main items are chairs and stations, mirrors, sterilization, the lease deposit and any buildout. Barber shops are not published at their own NAICS code in the county's 2023 employer file, though 197 barber firms without payroll appear in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024).
Buying an Existing Nail Salon
Buying a salon means valuing equipment, the lease, client records and whether technicians will stay. Ask for card-processing statements, booking records and the lease. A term loan can be one route.
Will a given salon turn a profit? Only the seller's statements can answer that for a specific shop.
Cash Advances in Salons
A salon with steady card sales can see merchant cash advance offers. Compare the total remitted with a working capital loan before accepting.
Salons in Galveston County, TX: The Numbers
Beauty salons with employees had 364 employees in 2023, and 62.7% of those salons had fewer than five employees; nail salons had 76 employees, and 73.1% of nail salon employers had fewer than five (County Business Patterns 2023).
| Business type | Employer establishments, county (CBP 2023) | Employees | Under five employees | ZIP 77550 establishments (ZBP 2023) | Nonemployer firms, county (NES 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty salons (NAICS 812112) | 67 | 364 | 62.7% | 3 | 1,030 (NAICS 812112) |
| Nail salons (NAICS 812113) | 26 | 76 | 73.1% | not published | 447 (NAICS 812113) |
| Barber shops (NAICS 812111) | not published | - | - | not published | 197 (NAICS 812111) |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 (employer establishments, NAICS 2017); Nonemployer Statistics 2024 (firms without paid employees, NAICS 2022). The programs cover different businesses and years and are not added together. Employment figures carry Census noise.
Commission Staff, Booth Rent and Cash Flow
A salon paying stylists by commission has payroll that rises and falls with sales; a salon renting booths collects fixed rent and carries less payroll risk. A partner may ask which model a salon uses, because it changes how predictable the business's income is.
Owners switching from one model to the other may be asked about the transition and how income will change during it.
Related Pages
All trades are under funding by industry; county figures are on the Galveston, TX data page.
By Cliffport Business Capital · Updated