Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Cali Gialousis, 17, opened Rave Beauty Salon in Howland on Dec. 1.

HOWLAND — As Cali Gialousis recalls, one night a few years back a close friend of hers came to her home with an acrylic nail kit. The friend didn’t want to pay to have her nails done by a technician, and asked Cali to help, she said.

“It took me like six hours to do it, and then I liked doing them and then I just kind of started doing my own, started doing hers, a few more of my friends … I just kind of started doing that and thought about maybe going to school for it,” Cali said.

She did, enrolling at Raphael’s School of Beauty Culture at 16 and now, about a year later, Cali, 17, owns and operates her own beauty salon, Rave Studio Salon and Spa, 170 Mayflower Road, Howland.

At the beauty school, Cali enrolled in late January / early February in the combo esthetician and nail technician program.

She said she split the course, completing the 750-hour esthetician course in about seven months. She passed her esthetician state certification test in September and then went back for the nail technician course, which she also completed n September.

The certification test for nail technician is in January.

Early on in the nail tech course, Cali said she wasn’t really thinking about opening her own salon immediately, but rather work for someone else for a bit. Nothing was really popping up, however, and then she found the building on Mayflower Road, called the landlord and a few days later got the keys.

That was Oct. 25.

“There was nothing here, the walls were green … there was carpet everywhere. We had to replace the floor in there,” said Cali, pointing to the hair style area, “because of state board regulations.”

There was no furniture and the space, about 900-square feet, had to be configured for a salon, which included plumbing and electrical upgrades, and equipment.

After school, which was 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., she said she spent hours readying the salon for its grand opening, sometimes, mom Kim Gialousis said, until 2 or 3 a.m.

“She worked her butt off,” Kim said.

Kim said she and Cali’s father, Leo, had suggested a January open date to give more time to get ready, but because she finished the program so quickly and already had a strong book of clients, Cali pushed for a Dec. 1 opening.

“So we pushed and pushed and pushed, and come Dec. 1, she opened up,” Kim said.

Because of her age, Cali needed help from her parents to sign the lease and take out an insurance policy. The business license is in her name.

As for the source of her entrepreneurial spirit, “her and my dad,” Cali said, pointing to Kim standing nearby. Kim previously owned a property management company that she sold last year and Leo, her husband, owned a bridge painting company.

Cali, who graduated high school earlier this year at 16, also has her microblading certification and wants to expand her skill set to include scar coverup with tattooing and permanent makeup.

Rave Studio Salon and Spa at the moment has two nail stations, two hair stations and a room for an esthetician. Working there, in addition to Cali, are hair stylists Grace Borton and Brayon Rhodes and esthetician Brianna Earich. Cali said she’s looking to bring on another lash technician and one more nail technician.

The salon is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. by appointment only.

“I just think she is amazing,” Kim said of Cali. “There was a lot of conversation between her father and I. She just turned 17, maybe we should have her go out into the world and work for somebody else. Is she ready for this? Can she handle it? She has proven time and time again that she is a very determined young lady, always has been.”