Twenty years ago, The Grooming Shop owner Kris Elston never thought her business would still be standing.
“Twenty years; that’s just amazing,” Elston said. “I had no idea it would last this long. You don’t see that much.”
Local storefront The Grooming Shop, 26286 U.S. 12, celebrated 20 years of pampering Edwardsburg’s dogs on June 1. Celebrations and contests to commemorate the occasion will take place throughout the summer.
The shop, established in 1997, offers everything from washes and cuts to dog earrings and hair color.
Many of the services offered by The Grooming Shop are not offered by their competitors, which has contributed to the shop’s longevity, Elston said. One of the shop’s most popular treatments is ozone hydrotherapy, which uses a bath infused with hyper-oxygenated air to treat skin conditions, arthritis and other mobility issues.
Elston got the idea to start a dog grooming shop after many of her friends who were also groomers told her that there was a need in Edwardsburg. This need was confirmed for her when the day she put a sign up outside, before she had even opened, someone pulled up and asked her if she was taking appointments.
Elston still services the animals of that customer today.
“We treat the animals like we would treat our own. It’s a very family type environment here,” Elston said. “We have people who brought in puppies and we are now grooming their replacements or their kid’s dogs.”
Elston’s daughter, Amanda Fletcher, is the manager of the shop and has worked there for around 15 years.
“It’s great working with my mom,” Fletcher said. “She offers a lot to look up to.”
After so many years, the mother/daughter duo said that it is a genuine love of the business that keeps them working.
“Here, I get to have have hundreds of dogs that I wouldn’t get to have,” Fletcher said. “I love this business. I love the dogs. I love the team mentality we have created here. We have a lot of fun with it.”
Elston said her favorite part of the job is getting to know the different personalities of the dogs and their owners.
Both Elston and Fletcher are pleased that they have been able to keep their family and pet friendly business running for 20 years.
“It’s been really exciting and impressive to still see growth,” Fletcher said. “Even during the recession time, we still got to see the business grow and flourish. It’s surreal to think it’s been think it’s been this long.”
In addition to creating a family feel, Fletcher and Elston credit the Edwardsburg community with keeping them in business for as long as they have been.
“Edwardsburg is a really awesome community,” Fletcher said. “The people who live here are very involved in the community in ways that I haven’t seen elsewhere.”
Fletcher said many of their customers have been surprised to learn that the the shop is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary, but will then realize that the shop has groomed several of their dogs or that their children have grown up having their dogs groomed at the shop.
“It’s really neat to see the way that families are connected and how we are kind of part of that,” Fletcher said. “We always try to provide caring and affectionate service.”
The Grooming Shop will announce 20th anniversary celebrations as they are planned.