The latest addition to Westbury is set to be a huge hit with the dog-loving town, offering owners the perfect place to take their pooches for a pamper.
Periwinkles Dog Parlour held an opening day over the weekend, with dozens flocking to welcome the business to the high street. Even Westbury Mayor Cllr Kimmins made an appearance, cutting the ribbon to commemorate the occasion.
The parlour now on Edward Street, Westbury, was born out of lockdown, as the 23-year-old owner Emily Rose decided it was time to put her dreams of running her own business into motion.
She started off by basing herself from her home garage and quickly realised that it could turn into something more.
Emily also works as a dog-walker and had noticed a gap in the market, with lots of demand for dog grooming in the area.
She noted: “Everyone kept saying, everyone’s so desperate to get their dogs clipped so you’re never going to not have work. Everyone’s got a dog now."
The business has snowballed over the last few months, with Emily’s shop now set up for two, as she also has her own personal assistant to help her get through all her admin work.
She added: “It’s all kind of blown up. It started when I studied Animal Care at college, I’ve always had dogs, and then I got an apprenticeship in dog grooming. I ended up leaving to venture on into other things and just realised it really is what I want to do.”
“When it came to the lockdowns when all the bigger dog grooming salons had to close, I had a pair of clippers and at the time I was living at home, and I literally had a corner in the garage and started doing friends and families’ dogs and word spread about me quite quickly. Before I knew it I had quite a big client base.”
It has been quite the journey for the young entrepreneur to get her new premises up and running, as she has been working many late nights to get everything ready for the big day.
Emily said: “I’ve literally been in this shop, every single day, getting it ready, renovating it. It’s been crazy.
"So many people are excited because I’m the first dog grooming salon to actually be on the high street. There are a few people who are doing it as I did in their garages, but this is something a bit different.”
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