When Ben Lomond-bred Erica Costella noticed the marijuana vendors vacating their space next to Henry’s Automotive and Masood’s Liquor & Deli recently, she took action.
“They just shut down and put their stuff out one day,” he said. “I saw them take out all their belongings. I was like, ‘Oh, is that going to be an open space over there?’”
Costella began her pet care journey about a decade ago, and was thinking about opening a small business. But he needs a location.
“All the ducks fell in a row,” said the 27-year-old dyed-in-the-wool mountain girl.
On Saturday, April 6, Costella will host the official opening for Hwy 9 Pet Store and Grooming, a full-service grooming salon in Ben Lomond.
She will specialize in grooming larger dogs, offer a basic haircut-bath-and-brush service and sell leashes, jackets and toys in a boutique area out front.
Costella said the start of the business venture was getting her own dog off Craigslist.
“Her name is Zia,” he said, introducing his border collie. “She has a lot of hair so she needs regular grooming.”
Unsurprisingly, Zia quickly became a good friend.
“She just had puppies and had some behavioral problems,” she recalled. “I took him and now he is happy. He goes with me everywhere.”
Costella took an entry-level job at a salon and began working in the industry.
“You get a job as a bather, and they teach you hands-on there,” he explained. “Within a few months you get into grooming. They slowly introduce you to the shaving and cutting of the breed. I went to a couple of grooming expos, one out of state, and you learn from competing groomers that makes all the show dogs.”
It won’t take long for the position to become extensive.
“It’s not just a job,” he said. “There’s something different about working with dogs than with people all day. I don’t know how to explain it. Dogs, they can’t really talk to you. They’re so loving.”
Costella said she feels a responsibility to provide the best care possible for the puppies brought in by their owners, and she always tries to treat each pet as if they were her own.
Rick Wilson, a 61-year-old who lives in San Jose but is a familiar face in these parts, stopped by Henry’s, where the interview was taking place, and was happy to see Costella.
“He’s done everything in the four to five years that I’ve known him,” he said, describing Costella as quite a hard worker. “He puts his head down and does it.”
Wilson knows how important it is to give your dog quality TLC. He likes to take his German wirehaired pointer on hunting trips.
“He was a machine,” he said.
“I remember him when he was a little puppy,” Costella said.
Wilson always cleans his dog thoroughly afterwards, “—nose to tail, top to bottom.”
In fact, a pet groomer may notice irregularities in your dog long before a veterinarian notices the loved one.
“You see them a lot more than a vet, so you might notice some things under the hair that the owner doesn’t,” he says.
Costella is excited for his new chapter, and to express his personality through business. He can’t wait to meet his first batch of customers.
But, most of all, he can’t wait to meet their dogs.
The grand opening of Hwy 9 Pet Store and Grooming will take place from 10am-3pm on Saturday, April 6, at 7932 Highway 9 in Ben Lomond; call 831-207-5395 for more information.
