Venus Nails & Spa
Business Name: Venus Nail & Spa
Owned by: Lois Nguyen
Location: 346 W Boylston St, West Boylston, MA 01583
Phone: 508-762-9135
Web: venusnailspama.com
Social Media: venuswboylston346
Tell us about Venus Nails & Spa:
Venus Nail & Spa is a family owned business. We love to work on clients with comfort, care and the best quality that we can offer.
What was your journey to this venture?
We all immigrated from Vietnam, this is our American dream. It started with my older sister-in-law coming from Vietnam and learning how to be a nail tech. Her parents, my husband and his brother also immigrated and became nail techs. It was tough because my husband and I just got married in Vietnam, but he came to America right after to raise money for me to come over and start our new chapter. Two years later, I was able to move with my two sisters-in-law and another brother-in-law. I had an idea of opening a family-owned store, something to bring us together, pride our journey and work together. It is a good living, an honest one that we can be proud of, and live our American Dream as a reality. We’ve achieved our dream of having our whole family together.
You’re giving a TEDTalk about building your business, what advice or insight would be most important to share?
Anything is possible. It will come with patience, but trust yourself because your American Dream can be anything if you invest in yourself. When you try to start a family business, trust one another and build a place where you can enjoy each other no matter what.
Cosmic Unicornz
Business Name: Cosmic Unicornz
Owned by: Melissa Mattson
Location: 160 Green St, Worcester, MA 01604
Phone: 508-277-0015
Web: www.cosmicunicornz.com
Instagram: cosmic_unicornz
Facebook: cosmic.unicornz
TikTok: cosmicunicornz
Tell us about Cosmic Unicornz:
Cosmic Unicornz is a fun, colorful handmade gift shop and clothing boutique located in the heart of the Canal District, on the outside corner of the Worcester Public Market and Kelley Square. We feature handmade goods by over 20 local artists. The Cosmic Unicornz aesthetic is fun, whimsical, colorful and silly, it’s the perfect shop to bring a smile to your face! We also offer sewing lessons and art workshops to ages 7 and up. The back of the store doubles as an art workshop/sewing studio!
What was your journey to this venture?
I grew up in Sutton, Massachusetts, and learned to sew at age 8. I was taught by my Vernon Hill, Worcester Grandma and then attended a summer sewing camp in Auburn in 1995. Throughout my school years, I was in love with sewing on my sewing machine. In college, I attended Umass Dartmouth for illustration and art history, as I am also a passionate artist. In 2012 I started my brand Cosmic Unicornz. Cosmic Unicornz began as a small Etsy shop featuring hand-painted shoes and small sewn accessories. From 2018 to 2025, we had pop-up shops in Boston, Ptown and vended countless other events. In 2025, we were finally ready to settle down in a permanent home, and the Cosmic Unicornz Boutique in Worcester, Mass was born.
You’re giving a TEDTalk about building your business, what advice or insight would be most important to share?
Keep chasing your dreams! We started our brand 14 years ago and just opened our first store last year. If you work hard, stay authentic to yourself, and stay focused on your goals, great things can be achieved.
August Coffee
Business Name: August Coffee
Owned by: Allison Moss and Madison Martin
Location: 548 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608
Phone: 774-319-1204
Web: https://www.august-coffee.com
Instagram: augustcoffee_
Tell us about August Coffee:
August Coffee is a new independent café in downtown Worcester, located across from The Hanover Theatre. The café focuses on specialty coffee, house-made syrups, quality breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and seasonal offerings served in a warm, thoughtfully designed space. Inspired by neighborhood cafés in New York City’s West Village, August Coffee was created to be more than a place to grab coffee — it’s intended to be a gathering place for Worcester residents, students, professionals and visitors alike.
The typical August Coffee experience is?
Seasonal menus, house-made syrups, good music, and a crowd that’s usually a mix of students, professionals, theatergoers, and people pretending they aren’t there for their second latte of the day.
In five years, August Coffee will…
In five years, we hope August Coffee has become a staple of downtown Worcester and a brand people associate with great coffee, great food and a great experience. We would love to expand to additional locations throughout Central Massachusetts while continuing to create spaces that bring people together. Hosting community events, collaborations, and creating gathering spaces beyond just coffee are all part of the long-term vision.
