NAMPA, Idaho — Local dog grooming business owner Frances Stanley has seen appointments booked out for months due to demand.
- Stanley recently moved his business from Eagle to Nampa
- It wasn’t long before clients started booking months after moving
(Transcript from broadcast story below)
“At Eagle I was booked out for about 4 to 5 months,” said Frances Stanely, owner of Doggie Stylin’ Grooming in Nampa.
Population growth is affecting appointment-based businesses throughout the Treasure Valley, including local pet groomers.
Frances Stanley began grooming at the Star and Eagle before moving her home business to Nampa.
“I actually lost most of my clients because it’s a longer commute which I understand, I didn’t take it personally,” she said.
But it didn’t take long for Stanley to get new clients.
His downtown Nampa store has been open since last December and he’s booked three months in advance.
“It was just usually word of mouth, I had a friend that was already going to a groomer, I just asked if they knew someone,” explained Nancy Toy, one of the people of the groomed dogs.
One of the stylists I met has been grooming for seven years who has seen a boom in demand for doodle breeds over the past five years. This is one of their most common clients.
“We see a lot of them because of their appeal to the general public, or what the general public is told about them,” said Madison Lee, dog groomer.
Poodle cross-breeds are built to be hypoallergenic, which isn’t exactly the case, and their combination coats really need regular grooming.
“When you don’t do that their hair starts to feel underneath what’s on top and it creates a sort of sheepskin, or pelt, and the dog needs to be shaved for their comfort,” Lee continued.
Diesel is an Aussiedoodle. I asked his person why they wanted different doodles.
“My wife actually likes it. I’ve always been a big Aussie fan and my wife doesn’t like the hair so we compromised and went for the middle road,” says Sean Bengston, Diesel’s man.
Frances has regular returning clients from Homedale and Emmett.
“They come to me because they trust me. When you work with a pet, it’s like their child but there are a lot of people who haven’t made it through their local grooming places so they’re willing to drive. and commute here just to make sure their dog is an appointment with someone they can trust,” Stanley concluded.
