Very Important Pooches

New Ephrata groomer expands into Moses Lake

GRANT COUNTY- The biggest compliment Collette Taylor can receive is hearing how much her customers like to come into her place of business.

"Being a groomer is very personal. You entrust me with your pet," she explained. "You entrust me to take care of it as it goes through my shop and comes out in better condition. It's not antagonized, it's not shy or fearful of the way it was treated in my shop. It comes out going, 'I'm wagging my tail. I like you Collette, and I'm coming back.' That's the compliment we received over at (the location in Ephrata): 'He's wagging his tail, he likes to be here.'"

Collette and husband Mark are owners of Bark Avenue. The business location in Ephrata, at 1260 Basin St. S.W., Suite B, opened six months ago.

"We expanded like eight weeks after that, we had to get the spot next to it," Taylor said. "And then six months later now, we're expanding to Moses Lake. It's just dynamic."

The Moses Lake location, at 9879 Kinder Road, opened April 1. A grand opening is planned for the first week in May.

Taylor believes the dog industry loves quality service, and said she has excellent clientele.

"My clients that came along when they decided to be part of Bark Avenue, are the elite," she said. "They care for their dogs. They love their dogs. They want to get them groomed properly. They like the appearance, the cleanliness, the standards we keep at our shop."

Many "chop shops" exist in the dog industry with self-taught groomers, which can lead to failures, injuries and accidents, she said.

In the Moses Lake location's first few days, the parking lot was full of people seeking to become members, and an additional 28 messages were left on the business telephone, Taylor said.

"We had to hire on two more people to answer phones at the front desks," she said.

Taylor breeds and shows akitas. Her dog meant the world to her, she said, and as she was coping with health issues, she decided she wanted to spend more time with her animals, which is the reason she ultimately decided to go into grooming.

After attending several grooming schools in the nation, Taylor opened a business in Oregon, which she kept open for 14 years before selling. When she and Mark got married and moved to Ephrata, she initially didn't want to open a shop.

After another shop owner, now a competitor, called to offer Taylor a position, she decided she wanted to open her own business again on a part-time basis.

"The 'part-time' went kaboom and I said, 'OK, honey, what are you willing to do?'" Taylor remembered. "And he says, 'I believe in you.'"

Taylor had her eye on the spot in Ephrata, and opened it in November 2007.

"We had been booked out so far in advance we actually had to ask for the next space over because we had no spot to put our retail and extra cages," she remembered.

The move to Moses Lake had been considered, but Taylor wasn't able to find an ideal spot until her real estate agent found the location on Kinder Road, with the potential to put up a 5,000 square-foot building for kennels. The Howliday Inn will be for extended dog stays, and Camp Bow Wow is for smaller dog day care.

That building will be constructed and open by June 1, Taylor said, with sections for small dogs, big dogs and cats. A pet photography studio opens next door May 5.

One and a half acres next to the building will be custom designed for a dog agility park, which includes a bone-shaped pool.

"The owners of our groomed dogs will be allowed to come, for a small fee, to walk their dogs," she said. "Only our groomed dogs, so our groomed dogs are very elite to us. Partly because we know the dogs, we have their vet records, we have a higher standard. We know what that dog entails and what the relationship is with that person."

A veterinarian will arrive in a year to provide "low-cost" immunizations and spay and neutering.

"That is something we're going to set up and say, 'You know what, it shouldn't be $75 to spay a dog or cat. It's going to be like family planning: Low rates."

Taylor believes her work is so important to her because the pet industry is not a million dollar business, she said.

"It is a billion dollar business," she said. "The baby boomers are getting ready to graduate from life and retire. They don't have children. They don't want children. They want little, small, lap dogs they can take. Those dogs need food, regular maintenance and care, dental, shots, immunizations, boarding. Even our elderly population, we love our dogs. Our pets are like our children. They're furry kids with four legs. It's an industry where there's a demand."

Bark Avenue is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"We do accommodate our special VIP clients," Taylor added. "VIP is our Very Important Pooches."

For more information, call the Ephrata location at 509-754-2275 or in Moses Lake at 509-766-7297.