Looking for a more visible location, Cosmotech School of Cosmetology moved from Portland to Westbrook last August.

“We moved to Westbrook for the location,” Debra Krasniak, a head instructor at Cosmotech said. The school, owned by Jim and Ilean Cavallaro, moved from an unnoticeable location in Portland to a more prominent on Mechanic Street. “It was a beautiful building in a great location, and it’s been the greatest thing for us,” Krasniak said.

The new location has provided the school with an influx of business due to increased visibility. “Traffic is driving by us everyday. We get a lot of people walking in just by seeing the sign. Some days (business) is too good. We don’t have enough students to cover the amount of people that we’re having,” Krasniak joked. “We’re really looking into building the enrollment at this point. I think, where business is good, we’ve got plenty of people to service. It’s about letting people in the area know what we have to offer in education.”

Even though the school is looking into accepting more students, Krasniak knows the benefits of keeping the school smaller. “There’s a lot more one-on-one education,” Krasniak said. “Here you’ve got a good ratio of students to teachers. It’s easier to customize people’s needs. There’s more flexibility.”

With the new location, there’s also room for growth. “The school started out small with the cosmetology students. We’ve added nails and now, seven years later, we’re adding the esthetics program,” Krasniak explained. Estheticians train only in skin care and, according to Krasniak, is a very up-and-coming career in the field.

Highly trained professionals like Krasniak, who has been active in the nail industry since 1990 and is the Maine/New Hampshire ambassador for Creative Nail Design Academy, teach the students. “We’ve built a reputation,” Krasniak said. “Creative Nail Design is a world leader in hand and foot beauty.” The students are taught using products found in high-end salons so that they can specialize in these products when starting out in the working world.

Students can expect to be prepared to work in a very life-like salon environment. “We try to run the clinic very much like a salon,” Krasniak explained. She said that students are trained in all aspects of the job. Clients often remark to Krasniak that they are impressed with the services provided by the school and compare it to high-end salons. “I teach my students exactly what I would be doing if I were in a salon,” she said.

“We pride ourselves in producing marketable, salon ready, and motivated professionals,” Krasniak said. “We pride ourselves in the quality of the education and the quality of the instructors. We’re just hoping to let the people in the area know that there’s a new education in town for people who are looking for a career change.”

For more information about Cosmotech School of Cosmetology and new class start dates, visit www.cosmotechschool.com

Cosmotech School of Cosmetology recently relocated from Portland to Westbrook. Cosmotech students pictured from left to right outside the school are: Tayla Bernier, Danielle Sayward, Kristie Mitchell, Ani Fuller, Bethany Gooding and Kelly Lynch

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