contributed
370 East Main St., Ansonia.
A cosmetology school and barber training center will be opening in downtown Ansonia, according to an announcement from city officials.
Ace Cosmetology/Barber Training Center, which has other locations in Hartford and Waterbury, hopes to be open at 370 East Main St. by April.
The property has been home to a number of restaurants in recent years, including Mustang Sally’s and Lanza’s, but has been vacant for two years since its most recent tenant, Savor Lounge, closed.
The cosmetology school will have six new employees and is targeting 150 students for enrollment, the announcement said. Discounts will be offered to the public and walk-ins will be welcome.
“We are very excited about this opportunity in Ansonia and look forward to a long and positive partnership with Mayor Cassetti and the residents of Ansonia and the Lower Naugatuck Valley,” the school’s owner, Gary Olmstead, said in the announcement.
The city highlighted a handful of other businesses on East Main Street that have either opened in recent years or renovated, including Banko’s music store, Rosa Mina restaurant, Fitzpatrick’s car dealership, and Yale Podiatry.
“There is already a steady flow of traffic through East Main Street and in our downtown area and with new residential apartments coming on line and an improved parking plan in the works, this will be an ideal location for the school,” Mayor David Cassetti said.
Sheila O’Malley, the city’s economic development director, said helping the property’s owner, James Puleri, find a suitable tenant for the location “has always been challenging because it requires a retail/restaurant tenant that can completely make use of 10,000 square feet.”
She called the cosmetology school “a perfect fit.”
