NASHVILLE, Tenn — Local entrepreneurs prove that working with family can be the secret ingredient to any business’s success.
When most people hear about siblings going into business together, they cringe, but for Aubrey and Kendall, the sister duo behind Mount Juliet’s Butterfly Wax Bar, working together felt natural and meant to be.
“We’ve had a lot of clients that are like ‘oh, I can’t imagine doing that with my sister,'” says Kendall, the younger of the two sisters. “For me, and I feel like for her too, it just felt so natural and normal. It was supposed to happen.”
The journey to Butterfly Wax Bar began in 2015 when Aubrey, six years older than Kendall, was fresh out of high school and looking for an alternative to traditional college.
“I’ve never been much of a school person,” Aubrey explains. “I kind of drifted towards the beauty industry, watching my sister-in-law do hair. So originally I wanted to go to school for hair, but whenever I graduated high school and was touring schools and I realized I did not want to be in school for another full year.”
At Empire Beauty School in Brentwood, a director introduced her to aesthetics, a field that was far from mainstream at the time. “I mean, this was 2015. I feel like being an esthetician was not super popular back then,” Aubrey recalls.
But aesthetics school wasn’t love at first sight. Her original dream looked a lot different: “I always imagined myself moving to Huntington Beach, California, doing hair and makeup for celebrities.”
However, somewhere along the way, she landed exactly where she needed to be.
Despite her initial reluctance, Aubrey discovered her calling in waxing and eventually became skilled enough to work at established salons. Years later, when Kendall found herself needing additional income as a young mother, she turned to her sister for guidance.
“I knew that if I was going to wax, I would want to go wax where she was. And at that point, for me, it was just about providing a good life for my child,” Kendall explains. “But then I started be pretty good at it. I picked it up really quickly.”
The sisters’ bond was tested early on. “Her first Brazilian she ever did was on me, and I still feel bad about it. It was terrible. It was so bad,” Kendall laughs, remembering her sister’s learning curve.
The idea for their own business had been developing for years. Aubrey had drawn up business plans and was talking to builders in summer 2023.
Their father ultimately pushed them toward independence. “He literally called me and he was like, I found you a store. Make it work,” Aubrey remembers.
The name “Butterfly Wax Bar” isn’t just catchy—it’s an inside joke that clients discover during their appointments. “We tell our clients to “Butterfly”, and usually because nobody really knows what the store name means until they lay on the table and we tell them to do just that,” Kendall explains. “It’s like an inside joke. It’s like, ‘oh, wow, I get it now.'”
Aubrey has always been a mentor figure to Kendall, so what better way to teach than do things alongside each other.
The sisters have intentionally designed their space to be more than just a service provider. “I am such a people person. I love to build relationships. I’ve had so many clients turn into genuine friends,” Aubrey says. “I wanted it to be where somebody felt like they could come in, not even get a wax and just sit and hang out.”
The intimate nature of their work creates unexpected bonds. “You would be so surprised at the amount of vulnerability. As soon as someone’s legs open up on that table, they just want to tell you everything,” Kendall observes. “I’ve seen breakups. I’ve seen divorces. I’ve been through pregnancies, miscarriages, miscarriages, abortions, engagements, buying a house, buying a new car, totaling your car. I mean, just every stage of life.”
While Butterfly Wax Bar has additional services including lash extensions, the sisters have chosen to focus on their specialty. “I feel like a lot of people, when you’re a jack of all trades and master of none, quality kind of goes downhill,” Kendall explains. “I feel like if you can find one thing that you really know how to do, it’s better for everybody.”
Born at Baptist Hospital in Nashville but raised in Mount Juliet, both sisters take pride in serving their hometown community. “We grew up in the same house that our dad grew up with, his 11 brothers and sisters,” Aubrey shares.
The early days weren’t without challenges. “The first couple months in, we were so slow, there’d be days that me and Aubrey would sit here” without “a single client walk in the door,” Kendall recalls. “I mean, shoot, one time we played hide and seek because we were so bored.”
But their persistence has paid off, and Butterfly Wax Bar has become a thriving part of the Mount Juliet community.
To visit the sisters and get started and book your appointment, visit their website, Facebook, and Instagram.
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