STEUBEN, Maine — Linda Maclean Dunbar plans to bring a cosmetology school to an empty building in Steuben.
Dunbar, who owned and operated the Hair Palace in Steuben and Corea from 1977 to 1991, said she got the idea to open her own school after Mr. Bernard’s School of Hair Fashion in Bangor and Lewiston closed abruptly in early January 2015.
She started working on the project in earnest in December 2015 and has been spreading news through Facebook posts, she said.
“I’ve had a lot of women call me and say, ‘I’m so excited,’” she said, adding these women want to pursue their dreams without having to travel too far.
“There’s no [cosmetology schools] from here to Canada and nothing from here to Bangor,” she said, adding that the closing of Mr. Bernard’s further limited the already sparse choices for cosmetology students.
Doug Dunbar, spokesman for the state board of barbering and cosmetology and no relation to Linda, said six cosmetology schools are currently licensed in Maine — one in Augusta, one in Portland, two in Westbrook, one in Bangor and one in Caribou.
“The department is always very pleased to work with any individual or company that wishes to establish a cosmetology school,” Doug Dunbar said. “The profession is very healthy, with many and varied employment opportunities throughout the state. Additionally, schools create jobs, which is always beneficial, especially in rural areas.”
Linda Dunbar said she will employ one instructor, Coralee Herrick Dewy, besides herself.
“I’ll be doing more of the business end but I can fill in,” she said.
Cosmetology board members are scheduled to visit Dunbar’s Steuben site May 3 to advise her on how she should divide up the space in the building for classrooms, she said.
Doug Dunbar said the board has “rules … [which] guide how the setup should be and the functionality of that space,” he said. The May 3 visit is a “courtesy … just to be helpful.”
After the interior of the building is done, Linda Dunbar will submit her application for licensing. As part of the review process, a board representative will inspect the property, Doug Dunbar said.
Linda Dunbar said she already has contractors lined up to separate the space into classrooms and believes it will be done quickly enough for her to open in September.
Dunbar, who graduated from Mansfield Beauty Academy in Bangor in 1977, said becoming a licensed beautician requires 1,500 hours of classroom work, which translates to about 10½ months.
She said she will start with just six students, who each will be responsible for $13,000 tuition. If all goes well, she will take on more students in the future and possibly expand the building, she said.