'This Is A Dream Come True'

By Ciara Hooks, The Bristol Press

December 17, 2021

Kaitlyn Green and Maritza Camerl, who were providing beauty services separately, have joined forces to open a new aesthetics salon in Berlin.

“A lot of people went natural during the quarantine and they’re like now what do I do?” Green said. “I want to take care of my skin now; I want lashes on now; I want to wax everything,” said Green, owner of Intoxikated.

Now area residents have a place to go to get all of those things and more at the new business located at 1204 Farmington Avenue.

“I do makeup, body waxing, lash extensions and facial waxing,” Green said.

“I offer facials, lash extensions and brow waxing and tinting,” said Camerl, owner of Mari J. Beauty.

The town held a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday morning for Intoxikated, which opened their doors back in June.

“We met in aesthetics school, and we really clicked from day one,” Green said. “We always kept in contact, we literally talked like all the time, and then I just asked her one day ‘hey, I saw this place in Berlin, would you want to partner with me and go in on a business together?”

“I was almost 38 weeks pregnant, and I was like ‘yes, but I’m about to have a baby, so I’ll help as much as I can,” Camerl said. “She thankfully led the efforts in the beginning stages of painting and decorating, making sure everything was up to code. She basically handled all the hard work. Then I came in September and set up my room and basically it was turn key for me. She had everything set.”

Being that Green worked in Newington before, she looked around that area for a location, but all her clientele is from the Berlin area.

“I think what is nice is they have a customer base established already, most of them are from Berlin, and it’s just like natural progression,” said Arosha Jayawickrema, town manager. “And also it’s good to see young entrepreneurs, young women especially, coming into Berlin and having the confidence to establish a business and make it work. We need more of that – people having faith in what they do and feel it in their heart that it’s going to work. You can see that in their passion.”

The 500 square foot space has three rooms the women and their families helped decorate.

“Our clients love the space; they love how personalized and how cozy it is,” Camerl said.

“They say it’s a very relaxing atmosphere and that’s what we were going for, calm and relaxing, that’s the kind of spa experience we want to give our clients,” Green added.

The front space plays a dual purpose as a waiting area as well as a workspace.

“We have a retail space here as well. So right now, we have skincare and after care for lash extensions,” Camerl said.

Currently there is just the two women working in the shop, but they have plans for expansion.

Green was born and raised in New Britain. The young entrepreneur is married with two children.

“I’m a coffee addict and a plant mom,” she joked. “But I love everything beauty and I’m really blessed to be in this position and to be able to open my own space. It’s really a dream come true for me, and to have one of my great friends with me is the best thing ever.”

“My wife is amazing; I’m so proud of her,” her husband, Elijah Green, said.

Camerl, a 31-year-old mother of three, was born and raised in Bristol.

“This is a dream come true,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to work for myself, I just wasn’t sure five years back what exactly that was, and thankfully there was a push in my life that made me switch completely with my career path and I became a lash artist then went to aesthetics school.”

Services are provided by appointment only. Intoxikated can be reached at 860-505-7429 or by email at intoxikatedlife@gmail.com/intoxikated or online at vagaro.com/intoxikated.

Mari J. Beauty can be reached at 860-940-1811 or by email at marijbeauty@gmail.com or online at marijbeauty.glossgenius.com.