ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of Noble Beauty with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 5. Pastor Jon Smith of Harvest Church opened the event on a hopeful note, starting with a prayer to bless the business as it opens its doors to the community.

For owner Arlene Cardenas, the new salon marks a milestone in her esthetics career, one she said is guided by faith. Noble Beauty, described as “a space where faith and beauty flourish,” offers services such as facials, eyelash extensions, waxing and threading.

Cardenas told The Elk Grove Citizen that she began to offer home-based eyelash extension services three years ago. She later attended esthetics school, earned her license in May and began planning a salon earlier this year, leading to the September grand opening.

 

Pastor Jon Smith of Harvest Church, center, opened the event with a prayer to bless the business as its salon doors opened to start serving the community. Vice Mayor Sergio Robles, left, joined the prayer alongside owner Arlene Cardenas and her husband, right. 

At first hesitant to bring faith into her work, Cardenas said that she later realized it could help her connect with clients on a deeper level.

“I didn’t know that going into esthetics, that it was going to be part of my ministry,” said Cardenas. “I wanted to help women out in some sort of way but just didn’t know how.”

Along her journey in esthetics, Cardenas said, new opportunities arose, strengthening her faith that this is her way of helping women: to feel beautiful on the outside and empowered on the inside.

 

Noble Beauty owner Arlene Cardenas, right, is pictured with local realtor Zaymah Kanemoto at the grand opening of the new salon located off East Stockton Boulevard, inside Solas Salons. 

Cardenas said her past struggles with abuse and mental health inspired her to create a beauty salon that not only offers comfort and support to everyone but also serves as a safe space for others who might be experiencing, or have experienced, similar challenges.

“Essentially, my heart behind everything is to create a safe place that is beyond the superficial,” she said.

The accomplishment is especially meaningful to Noble Beauty being a Latina-owned, faith-based business in Elk Grove. Cardenas honored her parents’ sacrifices as immigrants and spoke about the adversities that she navigated through growing up in a migrant household.

Cardenas shared that she came to the U.S. as an infant and did not learn of her legal status until she was 14. Cardenas described the path to citizenship as difficult and confusing, noting that the challenges she overcame are why she doesn’t take being a Latina business owner lightly.

Since becoming a legal citizen, Cardenas added, she hopes to visit her parents’ hometown in Sonora, Mexico, for the first time next year.

Pastor Smith said that he has known Cardenas for the past three years and that she has been a big help with church events, contributing her creativity through décor and food. Cardenas’ eye for detail will carry over into her work at the salon and with her customers, Smith added.

 

Attendees enjoyed light refreshments, desserts and snacks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Noble Beauty on Sept. 5. 

 “Detail for what’s mattering in their emotions, hearts as well as aesthetics and the physical… she’s going to be a great asset to the city of Elk Grove,” said Smith.

Vice Mayor Sergio Robles attended the ribbon-cutting and noted the sense of vulnerability people often feel when visiting a salon. Robles said that there is already a level of trust between clients and their service providers, making it easier for individuals to open up.

“That’s what Noble Beauty is going to do. It’s going to create that safe space for women, or men, to come and speak about what they’re going through,” said Robles. “She also has the ability to point them toward resources that people can go to… it isn’t only a small business but it’s also a pillar in our community.”

 

Vice Mayor Sergio Robles took a moment to congratulate Noble Beauty owner Arlene Cardenas on this new business venture. Much like a therapist, Robles said, estheticians help individuals by hearing them out and making them feel better. 

Robles also highlighted the significance of celebrating the opening of a Latina-owned business during Hispanic Heritage Month.

“What a great way to kick it off, right? We need more Latina women-owned small businesses in this region; there’s not many,” Robles said. He noted that Latinos are vital to the economy, and amid a time when immigration is a divisive issue and where the Hispanic community faces hardship, the salon’s grand opening is especially “powerful.”

“This isn’t the first one and it won’t be the last one,” Robles said.

Noble Beauty is located inside Sola Salons, 9117 E. Stockton Blvd. Unit 100, Suite 9. To check out more information or to book a service, visit noblebty.glossgenius.com or find @noblebty on Instagram.