Dawn Moon spent ten years as a licensed nail technician dreaming of her own shop. When she finally opened one in Sandusky, Ohio, she named it Hand Jobs Nails & Spa. The pun is the job: they work on hands. A slice of Perkins Township heard something else.
“This is an idea I’ve had for 10 years,” Moon said. “It’s a play on words, but really is exactly what we do as nail techs… HANDS!”
Facebook did what Facebook does. “What the hell are people thinking,” one commenter wrote. Another: “Take it down I cannot believe Perkins allowed you to use that name. Offensive!” Moon treated the pile-on as a free ad buy. Within 24 hours the sign had national and international write-ups. Local businesses posted in support. She started printing shirts.
The township still needed a sign permit, which Moon had not filed. Perkins Township’s zoning board first denied it after the complaint wave and told her to appeal. She refused to change the name. The board then reversed itself after finding that the Ohio Board of Cosmetology and the Ohio Secretary of State had already approved similarly worded business names. The lettering stayed.
The salon opened at 220 W. Perkins Ave. in Sandusky and is still operating. Yelp still lists Hand Jobs Nails & Spa as open in 2026. Moon was right about one thing: you cannot pay for that kind of exposure.
For more strange-but-true stories, browse 奇异新闻 from The AEGIS Alliance, including the Subaru Forester whose Singapore trim spelled an F-bomb and the cannabis that grew itself into the Vermont Statehouse flower beds.
Featured Image Credit: Hand Jobs Nails & Spa in Sandusky, Ohio.
