Two Different Worlds
Sokha Son
Professor Gusrang
SOC 101
November 27, 2012
Two Different Worlds
Two different worlds can mean plenty of things with many similarities. For me living in Philadelphia it means living day and night, literally. That’s how I view Philadelphia now at the age of my mid-twenties. It really is like that in my neighborhood. Crossing one street can put you in two different state of minds and can change how you act according to where you are in the city. Therefore I chose to do an observation on two Nail Salons in two completely different locations under the same owner. Opening the same business in a “night and day” neighborhood can determine how different neighborhoods can affect a business and how it’s operated on a daily basis and how individuals adapt to their surroundings. I learned a lot from my observations and will share my experiences with you through-out this essay. This topic came to mind because of an experience I had talking to my best friend from high school. It was freshmen year and my best friend Daquan Thompson asked me a question “Does your family own a nail salon?” I thought to myself immediately, I just was stereotyped because I am Asian and an assumption was made that my family ran a nail salon. I laughed because it was during the time the nail salon businesses were blooming any where and every where here in my community. So I understand where the assumption came from. I just jokingly replied back that his family owned a hair braiding business. I never knew that it was a stereotype then until now. My girlfriend’s older sister owns 2 nail salons so this helped with my topic. The first location is located in Bala Cynyd located at the heart of City Line Ave and the Spa was called Rejuve. The scenery is very clean and well maintained shopping plaza located directly across the street of the salon. The plaza included an L.A. Fitness, Acme, foot locker, Olive Garden, and a couple more familiar recognizable stores. There is a sense of
Professor Gusrang
SOC 101
November 27, 2012
Two Different Worlds
Two different worlds can mean plenty of things with many similarities. For me living in Philadelphia it means living day and night, literally. That’s how I view Philadelphia now at the age of my mid-twenties. It really is like that in my neighborhood. Crossing one street can put you in two different state of minds and can change how you act according to where you are in the city. Therefore I chose to do an observation on two Nail Salons in two completely different locations under the same owner. Opening the same business in a “night and day” neighborhood can determine how different neighborhoods can affect a business and how it’s operated on a daily basis and how individuals adapt to their surroundings. I learned a lot from my observations and will share my experiences with you through-out this essay. This topic came to mind because of an experience I had talking to my best friend from high school. It was freshmen year and my best friend Daquan Thompson asked me a question “Does your family own a nail salon?” I thought to myself immediately, I just was stereotyped because I am Asian and an assumption was made that my family ran a nail salon. I laughed because it was during the time the nail salon businesses were blooming any where and every where here in my community. So I understand where the assumption came from. I just jokingly replied back that his family owned a hair braiding business. I never knew that it was a stereotype then until now. My girlfriend’s older sister owns 2 nail salons so this helped with my topic. The first location is located in Bala Cynyd located at the heart of City Line Ave and the Spa was called Rejuve. The scenery is very clean and well maintained shopping plaza located directly across the street of the salon. The plaza included an L.A. Fitness, Acme, foot locker, Olive Garden, and a couple more familiar recognizable stores. There is a sense of