Can-West Agencies began in 1993 supplying a small line of gel products to local customers in Saskatoon, Sask. The founder of Can-West Agencies, Gordon Ashdown, moved the company into its first commercial location in 1995. With the help of Gordon’s wife Beverly Ashdown, owner of Beverly Ashdown Day Spa, Can-West started to offer gel nail educational courses. This was possible for the new location had one classroom as well as a retail showroom for nail technicians to purchase product. In 1997 Can-West’s commercial space doubled allowing them to introduce pedicure and waxing supplies to the company’s already expanding product lines. With Bev’s practical experience and high standard for quality education Can-West had a need for more educators. Bev was soon acting as Director of Education and had employed several seasoned nail technicians and estheticians as part time educators. Three years later in 2000 Can-West tripled in size. In 2004 the demand for more educational classes and a larger retail showroom was so great that they moved to Can-West’s current location of 7000 square feet.
Can-West works directly with many manufacturers in order to supply products that work in real life. Some of the brands carried are Amore International Gels and Skin Care, NSI gels and support products, Light Elegance gels, Christrio colored gels, Light Elegance gels and colored Gels, Essie lotions, polishes and treatments, Amoresse polishes and treatments, Ultronics disinfectant products, 3 different file lines, Dannyco spa items, Sharonelle wax & paraffin, Thuya lash perm and tint, Combinal lash perm, Fortune lash tints, Kiss Me Mascara, Tend Skin, and many more.
Although Can-West is located in Saskatoon, products are shipped all over Western Canada on a daily basis. Can-West is now expanding into a much larger assortment of spa furniture and equipment. Can-West now offers over 3,000 items including gels, pedicure and manicure supplies, lotions, skin care, furniture, equipment, etc. New technology has given Can-West the opportunity to supply microdermabrasion, cold laser and micro current machines as well as a teeth whitening systems. These products are all tested by professional estheticians and used in the classes offered at Can-West. Today the Education Department offers many different Esthetics classes including basic nail courses to advanced trouble shooting courses, manicure and pedicure courses, lash perming and tinting courses as well as several others. Our mission, to create excellence through quality products and education, demands constantly searching for the most up-to-date products and informative courses.
