13 Aug Peekskill’s Own Empire: Building Careers in Cosmetology

Peekskill’s Own Empire: Building Careers in Cosmetology

By Joshua Anderson for the Peekskill Business Improvement District

Inside Empire Beauty School at 19 Bank Street in Downtown Peekskill, styling stations and salon chairs await wide-eyed students eager to embark on their new careers—or shift from another. 

Empire Beauty School began as a small, family-owned business in 1934. Nearly a century later, it operates more than 70 locations nationwide. They have their own education, CLIC – Certified Learning in Cosmetology. Empire Beauty School develops its own textbooks and curriculum, which are updated regularly. 

Empire Beauty School originated in Pennsylvania and was founded to educate future cosmetologists. Ernest Fusco founded the Northern Westchester School of Hairdressing and Cosmetology in 1983. Fusco and his wife, Francis, began their careers as hairdressers and eventually owned six salons before scaling back and opening the school. Fusco’s entire family was involved in one way or another, from the administrative to the hands-on instruction.  

His daughter, Christine Fragomeni, joined the school’s financial administrative staff six months after opening and helped develop the school from the ground up. In 2004, she and her husband purchased the school from her father before Empire Beauty School acquired it in 2010, merging it into its national network but continuing cosmetology education in the same Peekskill location.

After the acquisition, Christine left for about 10 years and then returned in 2019.

There are currently five campuses in New York: Manhattan, Queens, Buffalo, Rochester and Peekskill. All five are approved by the New York State Education Department’s Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision. 

“They have the accreditation process down to a science,” said Fragomeni, who has served as the Peekskill campus’s executive director since 2019.

The school offers a 1,000-hour cosmetology program in two formats: a full-time program (Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM) to be completed in seven months, or a part-time evening program (Monday–Wednesday, 5:30PM–10 PM and Thursday, 5:30–9:30PM) completed in 15 months, allowing students to work full-time while attending classes.

“We have great core values. Our whole goal is to create opportunities for people and to improve their lives,” Fragomeni said. 

The program attracts students of different ages, educational backgrounds and career stages—whether you have a five minute walk or a 50 minute commute, or whether you’re a fresh graduate or a military veteran like Elisa Nickless. 

Nickless said she prefers hands-on training to traditional academic study. “I’ve done the college thing. It wasn’t for me,” she said. On the other hand, she said cosmetology seems to be very fitting. Discussing her readiness for professional work, Nickless said, “I’m pretty confident in myself, because I’m very confident in my peers.”

“You are. That’s a good thing,” fellow student Celia Andersen interjected.

Both students said the program had strengthened their technical skills and confidence before graduation. The two students are set to graduate in September 2026. 

“This is an industry where the sky’s the limit. You can make a tremendous amount of money. You are your own business, so you have to work hard,” Fragomeni said. 

According to Fragomeni, the Peekskill campus reports a 78% graduation rate and an 86% job-placement rate. 

Fragomeni said salons regularly contact Empire Beauty School seeking new graduates.

“We have salons that beg for students,” Fragomeni said. 

These students spend the first 525 hours in pre-salon training. After completing the required modules, they move into the advanced salon classroom and begin working on real clients while under licensed educator supervision. 

Some students arrive with the mindset that they cannot succeed academically. Through individual instruction in this hands-on environment, instructors often see those students blossom with confidence.

“All of a sudden the lightbulb goes off, they can have a conversation with all this new terminology and they know exactly what they’re talking about. So when they get it and they process it, I love it,” said Shannon Murphy, who has worked as an educator since 2014 and has been working at Empire Beauty School for four years.

Murphy explained that confidence is huge a asset, especially in this industry. Once the students develop that confidence and can apply it in real-world situations, everything else starts falling into place.

She works with students throughout the process, remaining beside them during their first client appointments, monitoring their techniques and offering feedback.

Her connections with students can continue years after graduation, with former students contacting her for career advice.

“Watching them grow from knowing nothing to becoming professionals – that’s why I do it,” Murphy said.

That confidence often follows students long after graduation. Alyssa Lopez, who graduated from Empire Beauty School in May 2025, credited the school with preparing her for the New York State licensing exam, which she passed on her first attempt.

“They are very big on state board exam preparation,” Lopez said. “They help you prepare for the test.” There are two parts of the exam, one written, one practical. The written exam is a multiple-choice test designed to measure knowledge of concepts, safety protocols, and others. The practical exam requires students to demonstrate their skills on a mannequin. 

Today, Lopez continues taking private clients while working in luxury retail. One day, she hopes to own her own salon.

“If it’s something that you wanna do, this is definitely a place that can get you where you wanna go,” Lopez said.

The school currently employs four educators, including Stephanie Dyer, who has worked at the location for more than 35 years. Fragomeni described Dyer as her “rock.” Two of the other educators actually graduated from the Peekskill campus. 

It’s never too late to begin cosmetology. Students range from high school graduates to adults in their 50s – 60s pursuing a new career. 

“I came here because of my sister,” Andersen said. “Seeing where she is now made me want to follow the same path.”

For Empire Beauty School’s students, every session is more than a lesson—it’s another step toward a future they’re creating for themselves. As Andersen and Nickless approach their expected September graduation, the salon floor has become the bridge between their classroom training and the careers they plan to build.

The student salon is open to clients Tuesday–Thursday, 9 AM-6 PM, Friday 9 AM-4 PM, On Saturdays – Mondays the clinic is closed. On two select Saturdays a month they are open for student make-ups; when this occurs they are available to take clients from 9 AM-1 PM. 

For the specific Saturdays and any other information about class schedules, enrollment and availability, and updates and announcements, call 914-739-8400, visit empire.edu, follow @empirebeautyschool on Instagram and TikTok, or find Empire Beauty School on Facebook.

(C) 2026 Peekskill Business Improvement District. Photos by Joshua Anderson and Journey Allied Health. Edited by Bill Powers.  If you are a downtown destination business and would like to be considered for an upcoming profile article, please email us at peekskillbid1@gmail.com.