Beyond their academic and extracurricular commitments, several UC Santa Barbara students have started their own businesses. Campus dormitories and Isla Vista apartments house a myriad of nail technicians, crochet connoisseurs and other creative sellers.

Models posed in two crocheted pieces from Olivia Perry’s collection during golden hour. Courtesy of Olivia Perry

First-year psychological & brain sciences major Olivia Perry sells crochet bikini tops, booty shorts and ponchos out of her dorm. Perry explained her business model as “a lot of clothing for daygers or the beach, lots of small and revealing things for mainly an audience who’s girls”. Perry said starting her business gave her a way to make money while doing her hobby.

“I have so much fun doing it, so I figured why not also make money — it’s also more of an excuse to have to participate in my hobby,” Perry said.

Third-year psychological & brain sciences major Danalee le Fevre has been a nail artist for about four years and keeps students’ financial limitations in mind when determining pricing for her services.

“Now that I am at a place where I am confident in my results, I have student-minded prices to match,” le Fevre said.

For nail artist Sidney Le, a first-year psychological & brain sciences major, pricing is based on her time and resources spent creating nail sets. Stemming from admiration of her aunts’ “beautiful works of art” and her fascination with the process of designing nails, Le taught herself how to do nail art after her friend asked her to do her nails for graduation.

“Money isn’t the reason I created this business. It’s a way to share my craft and connect with people; I love it,” Le said.

Sidney Le’s nail art centers around personalized, intricate nail sets. Courtesy of Sidney Le

Each of the student business owners has had to find ways to balance their creative outlet with their academics and other commitments. Le explained how she balances schoolwork when time spent on her side hustle can vary greatly. 

“As a [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math] major, my time is limited so my nail career depends on my academic schedule,” Le said. “Most sets take around two to seven hours, heavily depending on design and experience with specific processes.” 

Perry balances her work and her growing business by allocating her free time to making more products.

“When I go on break at home or something, I try to crochet a bunch of stuff,” Perry said. “So I went home and I crocheted four items, and then I came back, so I guess that’s filling in the time that I am not crocheting [in school].” 

Danalee le Fevre’s various nail patterns show versatility in her work. Courtesy of Danalee le Fevre

Le Fevre, who has had more experience managing her clientele and other pursuits, said she is able to put “ a roof over [her] head” from her business’s revenue. She described this growth as turning her side hustle into not only a source of revenue, but also a way to develop business skills she can apply to her future career. Due to her consistency and commitment, le Fevre said she has been able “to maintain a fully booked schedule.”

“It has definitely taken some trial and error to balance my work life schedule, but it’s the best kind of busy,” le Fevre said.

Perry hopes to follow a similar path when she moves out of the dorms.

“As we get older and we’re no longer first years in the dorms, I know that people are going to be making more money, I would assume, so I can actually put more effort into my clothing and charge more,” Perry said.

Ultimately, for le Fevre, her business provides a way for “connecting to others,” flexibility around her school schedule and a creative outlet.

A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the April 30, 2026 print edition of the Daily Nexus.