INDUSTRYTRIBUTE

In memoriam

James ‘Jim’ Nordstrom MARCH 19, 1957 – MARCH 21, 2026

Members of the nail sector pay tribute to Jim Nordstrom: industry trailblazer, loving husband, colleague, father & friend

James ‘Jim’ Nordstrom, a much-loved man and dynamic member of the nail industry, passed away suddenly on March 21 in San Diego, California, aged 69. He is survived by his devoted wife, Linda, and their daughters, Niki and Carli, as well as brother, Tommy, sisters Ann, Jan and Carol, and extended family.

Jim was the son of the late Dr. Stuart Nordstrom and Mary Nordstrom, founders of Creative Nail Design (CND™ ) in 1979. What began in a garage grew into a global brand, and Jim played a central role in that journey. During his 18 years as CEO & chairman, he helped guide Creative Nail Design through decades of growth and innovation. A post on Facebook reads: “At a time when education, safety and consistency were still being established, his leadership helped build the structure that allowed nail technicians around the world to create sustainable and respected careers.”

The talented businessman co-founded Famous Names – the nailcare company behind the IBX and ACESO systems – with Linda and longtime friend, Lisa Hamilton, in 2010. Jim was a hands-on founder: ensuring that the people in the nail industry, and their needs, were prioritised. He proudly worked alongside Linda and his daughters, and had a rare ability to connect, mentor and inspire. With an eye for innovation and love for community, Jim understood that the strength of the nail industry lies in the people within it, and he travelled the world to connect with working nail professionals and dream up innovations to support their careers.

Jim’s influence extended globally through his partnership with Samuel and Samantha Sweet at Sweet Squared in the UK and Ireland, where he continued to champion distribution, education and the growth of nail technicians. A post on Facebook reads: “Jim adored his family and cherished his friendships. He mentored countless people throughout his life and career. He loved golf, travel, and above all, sharing laughter and good times with those around him.” His wife, Linda, paid tribute to the ‘love of her life’, to whom she was married for 35 years, sharing that Jim ‘was taken far too soon’ and will be in her heart, always.

“It is difficult to imagine our world without Jim. He possessed many gifts that we will forever remember and celebrate. He was a brilliant businessman and an extraordinary partner throughout CND™ ’s first 18 years.

“Jim honoured the professional community with unwavering dedication, carrying forward the vision of our father. His scientific mind and curiosity led to meaningful innovations that shaped our industry – but above all, Jim was family. He embraced life fully, with humour, warmth and an appreciation for every day.”

Jan Arnold, co-founder of CND™ & sister of Jim

“Thank you Jim, for the charisma, charm, intelligence, guidance and kindness you brought to the nail sector and shared with everyone who had the privilege of meeting you. You were born into this industry with power and purpose, and more than delivered. You helped shape our landscape, created products that truly work, inspired a multitude of people and propelled the industry to a better place. You influenced not only its innovation, but its content, direction and heart.

“The industry is better because you were at the forefront of its meaning and evolution. Thank you for everything you gave us, and for the time we shared.”

Alex Fox, co-founder, Scratch & global director of Nailympia Competitions

“Losing Jim is like losing a limb. A part of me somewhere is just – gone. I met him when I was 21 and he was the CEO of Creative Nail Design, and was in awe of him because he was the ‘big boss’. In 1997, my brother and I went out with Jim and Linda for dinner, and I remember thinking what an amazingly fun couple they were and how Jim wasn’t a man to fear at all, but a man I could learn from.

“Fast forward to 2006 when Jim flew to the UK to discuss introducing some brands that he was representing to our market. It was during this time that my husband, Samuel, and I really got to know Jim, Linda, Niki and Carli. That year, Samuel and I founded Sweet Squared. In August 2007, Jim was there when we needed him most and helped onboard the CND™ brand to Sweet Squared. He became our business partner that year, but was so much more than that: he was our mentor, dad, brother and best friend all rolled into one. In 20 years, he never tried to force us to do something because he thought it was right. Jim guided us and could see both sides to a situation, but always left it up to us to make the final decisions. We travelled all over the world with Jim and Linda, and had the best times together, and with our (now grown-up) kids.

“Jim and I are both Pisces and were so similar in a myriad of ways: always upbeat and the last to leave a party, adventurous and keen to see the good in every situation. His reputation was very important to him; he was a man of integrity who always wanted to do the right thing for his family, friends and businesses. He was never afraid to take a risk or bet on the underdog. Sweet Squared wouldn’t be the company it is without his guidance, help and influence.

“Our job is to strive to the next level, because I know in my heart how happy Jim was to be an active member of Sweet Squared. The team loved when he was in residence and wanted to make him proud. My mantra for so long has been ‘what would Nordy do?’ and I will always have that as my go-to!

“It has been overwhelmingly heartwarming to read and receive the wonderful words of comfort and love from people around the world. Linda, Niki, Carli and the rest of the Nordstrom family must be so proud to see how much

Jim was loved and respected. Life will always be that little bit less not having him in our lives, but I feel so blessed to have had him by our side all these years. He was, is and will always be my hero and an absolute legend. Love You Nordy!”

Samantha Sweet, co-founder, Sweet Squared

“In my opinion, Jim was the ‘Dadi’ of the nail industry. I met Jim in the early ‘90s when I was chosen, as a CND™ education sales consultant, to attend CND™ ’s global Bootcamp in San Diego. There I met the company’s matriarch, lovingly called ‘Mother Mary’, Jim, his sister Jan, brother Tommy, Linda and Doug Schoon. The trip was a turning point in my career. So much was explained and my enquiring scientific mind found all the answers.

“Jim and Linda went on to launch Famous Names, providing nail professionals with innovative and efficient products such as IBX and the Dadi range. Jim had developed a nail oil that his daughters called ‘Daddy’s oil’ while it was being tested. When the time came to naming it, they called it Dadi’Oil. Jim and Linda were always kind and never tired of explaining their products and how they can support nail pros and clients.

“I know so many around the world have Jim to thank for making them better nail professionals. He will be very missed by those whose lives he touched, but not more so than Linda and their two daughters, Niki and Carli. There is a big hole in the nail world today, and so many will miss that smiling, kind face with a wealth of knowledge willingly shared with all.”

Marian Newman BEM, nail industry aficionado

“I had the pleasure of meeting Jim many times at trade shows and Sweet Squared events. He was an industry pioneer, yet gave so much time to others and made everyone he met feel so comfortable: always greeting them with a smile and making time for conversation.

“The definition of a gentleman is: ‘a polite, courteous and honourable man, characterised by good manners and education’. That describes Jim. He will be missed by so many, but heaven has gained a gent with a great smile.”

Scott Derbyshire, co-founder, Scratch

“Jim Nordstrom is, and always was, a legend. Not the kind of legend that’s handed out casually, but the kind that’s earned quietly over decades through integrity, generosity and an uncanny ability to make everyone around him better.

“I first learned of Jim in the early ‘90s, on my path to becoming the ultimate nail nerd. Back then, from my hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah, he was influencing and encouraging people without even meeting them. Jim’s reach was never ransactional; it was human.

“I met him in-person on stage at a CND™ conference in 1999, where I was awarded the International Educator of the Year title. Jim congratulated me and handed me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I’ll just say that once he got to know me properly, the flowers stopped coming!

“Jim left CND™ in 2000 to spend more time with his daughters and I thought that would be the last we saw of him professionally, but I was wrong. In 2006, Jim unwittingly became the catalyst for the formation of Sweet Squared. Though in semi-retirement, he visited Samantha and I to introduce some brands looking for distribution. I half-heartedly suggested we start a new company to take on the lines. He full-heartedly agreed, and just like that, Sweet Squared was born. That was the first ‘Nordism’: feed the hungry. Jim knew that work ethic fuelled by passion, vision and genuine desire will always outrun corporate pen-pushers, and from that moment, so did we.

“Jim didn’t hesitate when we asked him to be a Sweet Squared partner. He jumped in with both feet, helping negotiate and pitch Sweet Squared as the new home for CND™ in the UK. He and Linda even put their house up as collateral against some of our heavy financial commitments. That moment defined what it meant to bet on people – not a calculated risk: a wholehearted one.

“Jim’s reputation was forged in integrity over a lifetime, and he took it seriously. In the early days, I expressed an interest in a lacquer range and Jim made one call. They rolled out the red carpet. I remember that meeting clearly, not just because it genuinely moved the earth (there was a 5.2 magnitude earthquake mid-meeting), but because it opened with the words: ‘When Jim Nordstrom calls you for a meeting, you take that meeting.’ That kind of reputation isn’t built on charm or strategy. It’s built on integrity and one trait repeated consistently: honesty, and Jim believed in it – even when it created friction. More specifically, he valued what could be found on the other side of conflict: the resolution. His approach was simple: be factual, be clear, then move forward.

“A key ‘Nordism’ is that life is about the three F’s: friends, family and fun. Jim simply loved people. Every time he visited Sweet Squared, he’d go out of his way to introduce himself to anyone new. This wasn’t strategy. It was because Jim genuinely, wholeheartedly loved people, and they felt it.

“Our boys grew up with Jim around. They loved spending time with him, not just for the insight and wisdom he’d drop without ceremony, but because Jim always spoke to them as equals. He asked questions. He listened. He never pre-judged. It didn’t matter what your role was or where you sat in any room. To Jim, you were family.

“Jim will forever leave a void that will never be filled, but it will be honoured, cherished and celebrated. He was genuinely the greatest and his fingerprints are all over who we are as a company and who I am as a man. I’ll forever miss him in every way possible, and will always be thankful for almost two decades of his partnership, his wisdom and his Nordisms.”

Samuel Sweet, co-founder, Sweet Squared

“The professional nail industry has lost one of its true greats. At Louella Belle, we had the privilege of distributing the Famous Names brand in the UK from 2012 until 2023, when we sold our professional brands to Sweet Squared, where Jim was a partner and director. In that time, Jim was more than a business partner to us. He was one of the finest people we have ever had the privilege of knowing. Through our years working together, he was someone we always looked up to and deeply respected. He was a man who always did right by us, and that means more than we can express. But beyond the business, we loved him as a person.

“Jim’s passion for the professional nail industry was lifelong and unwavering. Everything he created, he did for the professional nail technician. That was his north star, always. He was also, above all else, a family man. Jim was so proud to have Linda, Niki and Carli by his side at Famous Names, and anyone who spent time with him knew how much he adored each of them. To build something so meaningful, and to build it together with the people you love most, says everything about the kind of man he was.

“We were fortunate enough to spend time with Jim on many occasions over the years – in Las Vegas, London, Krakow and Bologna – and the times we spent together are memories we will treasure forever. Anyone who knew him, knew that a drink with ‘Nightcap Jim’ was always something to look forward to. We had been due to share one in Bologna, just a few days after he passed. We still can’t quite believe we didn’t get that chance.

“Our hearts go out to Linda, Niki and Carli, and our thoughts are also with Samantha and Samuel Sweet, who were not Jim’s family by name, but were absolutely his family in every other sense.

“Jim Nordstrom was one of a kind. The industry is a better place for everything he gave it, and those of us lucky enough to have known him personally are better people for it. We feel so lucky to have had him in our lives.”

Jamie & Darren Crook, CEOs at Louella Belle Limited