Ida Bonaparte recently acquired a new love and turned it into a business.

At 47, Bonaparte opened Healthy Pedicures Etc. by Ida earlier this month on Fort Worth Drive to make her hobby a bit more of a reality.

DRC/Barron Ludlum

Ida Bonaparte gives a manicure to Reggie Hill in her new salon. She opened the business, Healthy Pedicures Etc. by Ida, recently at 1214 Fort Worth Drive. Her new career is quite a jump from when she was working for the Denton Police Department.

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“My heart says that I need to offer something different to help people care for their nails and educate them on what do to look for in a clean nail salon,” Bonaparte said of her new undertaking.

Originally from Port Lavaca, two hours south of Houston, Bonaparte said she always liked the idea of owning her own nail salon, but the right time never came because her life was busy.

She worked for the Denton Police Department for 21 years in a variety of capacities.

Bonaparte served as an emergency 911 supervisor, a public educator for the school district and as a telecommunicator on call for the department’s tactical team.

Bonaparte has also been active in the community.

 She has provided complimentary services to the American Legion Center, participated with the citizens Appreciation Day for the police academy and provided foot massages and consultations at the Morse Street Church Health Fair for the past three years, all free of charge.

After retiring, Bonaparte decided she wanted an additional income and started working at nail salons around Denton while raising her three children — Alexus, 12, James, 10, and Daniel Jr., 8 — with her husband, Daniel.

Last December, something in her changed.

Her mother, Gladys, died. To honor her mother, Bonaparte decided to open her own nail salon.

Bonaparte, who is the middle child in a family of seven, had become her mother’s primary caretaker. She said her most difficult time has been accepting the loss of her mother, who died after dealing with a heart condition and kidney failure. 

“I still order two cups of soups and chicken and dumplings and gumbo from Ruby’s Diner on the Square,” Bonaparte said, recalling a couple of weeks before Mother’s Day how much she misses her mother. “She always liked that.”

Following her mother’s advice, Bonaparte started working in her new business in February.

Since then, she has spent many hours at her salon, updating the floors, installing shelves for gift items, and educating herself on the proper sanitation and health safety of feet, skin and nails.

So far, she has received help from friends such as Pablo Classon, who painted the walls of the business and brought flowers and decorations. “He has been a blessing in helping me build my dream,” Bonaparte said of Classon.

Laura Williams, coordinator of a church’s women retreat where Bonaparte provided her nail services, is helping with advertising and creating gift baskets.

Classon, 49, a native of Guatemala, met Bonaparte in August when she worked at his Genesis salon on Dallas Drive. He said something about her caught his attention.

“It felt like I had known her forever,” Classon said about their first meeting. “She is different. I like her energy and how she loves her job and how she treats people.”

Classon provided Bonaparte with her own spot at the Genesis salon, and now, to return the favor, Bonaparte will share her space with him.

“It was always my dream to have a place for myself,” Bonaparte said. “But I don’t mind altering my dream for him.”

Even though Bonaparte may appear shy, many are attracted to her enthusiasm.

One longtime friend, Jim Dolgener, a retired battalion chief of the Denton Fire Department, stopped by her salon recently with his wife, Georgia.

“Hey, Trouble, come over here,” Bonaparte said in a loud voice while providing a paraffin wax treatment.

Dolgener, 65, and Bonaparte met around the early ‘80s, when the police and fire departments shared the same building.

“She would come over and kept harassing me,” he said with a smile.

Bonaparte said it was all in good fun, but for as long as she can recall, she’s always picked on people. They have remained friends for 20 years.

“We could make a team out here,” he said, informing Bonaparte that he was the last person to paint his wife’s nails last and that he would be an asset to her business.

“They looked good,” Bonaparte replied.

A specialist in diabetic pedicures, Bonaparte received the certification as a master pedicurist from the North American School of Pedicuring in 2006.

Because of her love of learning, she took classes taught under the direction of the Internal Pedicure Association’s chief executive officer and founder, Dr. Dennis Arnold, a podiatry surgeon from Fort Worth.

Arnold, who has known Bonaparte for four years, said he likes her level of professionalism.

“She has been a good person to go to when I need answers and opinions from a nail technician’s point of view,” Arnold said.

Because of her knowledge, Bonaparte has been invited to health fairs to speak on nail and foot care and has received referrals from a local hospital to provide her pedicure services to diabetic patients.

“At times she appears to be somewhat quiet in person,” Arnold said. “But when she e-mails she can talk page after page.”

Bonaparte was originally scheduled to open her 560 square feet of space last month, but because she wanted to have her place just right, she waited until May 1 to begin taking clients. She has a grand opening planned for June 8.

Her future plans include teaching what she has learned to other technicians and creating a private “sports manicure” section for men.

She will also provide products for diabetic clients and, with Classon’s help, she will provide her service menu in Spanish.

“I am just trying to take it day by day now, but we will see,” Bonaparte said.

KARINA RAMÍREZ can be reached at 940-566-6878. Her e-mail address is kramirez@dentonrc.com .