Berger moves to mobile grooming; sells business to employee

Lynn Atkins/The Weekly Vista Stacy Berger gave up her shop to go mobile this month. Her new mobile dog salon is called Wags.
Lynn Atkins/The Weekly Vista Stacy Berger gave up her shop to go mobile this month. Her new mobile dog salon is called Wags.

When Rachel Heaton moved to Bella Vista, she had already owned her own dog grooming business in Illinois. She went to work for Stacy Berger at Squeaky Spaw, but she missed being in charge.

Berger, who owned Squeaky Spaw, missed being a hands-on groomer. After she opened the business in November 2011, she added boarding and some doggy day care. She found herself spending more time doing paperwork rather than grooming and the boarding service took a lot of her free time.

"I kept missing Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner," she said.

So they came to an understanding. Heaton bought Squeaky Spaw and Berger bought a mobile dog salon.

Wags, the mobile salon, comes to your home, but all the grooming is done in the van. It's a state-of-the art van, Berger said, with a tank full of water and generator to run the electrical equipment. She can bathe and clip any dog in her van.

She picked up the van in Indiana and added her own logo on the sides. Her dog, a standard poodle, was the model for her eye catching logo, although she admits the long red wig was photoshopped onto the image.

Dog owners don't even have to be home, Berger said. She's only been in business for a couple of weeks, but she already has clients who give her their garage code so she can go in and groom their pets while they are at work. They come home to a clean, stylish dog, she said.

For now, she can take last-minute appointments, but she expects to start scheduling regular appointments months in advance. In fact, she thinks she can fill her schedule for an entire year. She will travel into Bentonville and Pea Ridge, about a 15-mile radius, she said.

Mobile grooming is a luxury, she said, so she expects to leave plenty of business for Heaton. Both plan to refer customers back and forth.

"There's enough business for a few more shops," Heaton said. Luckily she likes being busy.

Heaton took her first grooming course so she could groom her own dog, but she enjoyed it and went into business. Now she employs two other groomers and a woman who helps with shampoos and the boarders.

They all do continuing education, she said, so they can keep up with the latest styles and learn about the latest equipment. Every breed has its own standard cut, she said, but there are hundreds of variations on each one.

She's never refused to do what an owner wants, although sometimes she tries to educate the owner about what's best for their pet. For example, no matter how cute a dog looks, when their long hair is matted, the dog is uncomfortable and usually it can't be brushed out.

Squeaky Spaw has limited space for doggy day care, but a few dogs spend their days with Heaton and her staff. They can board only one or two large dogs at a time, but there's space for several small dogs.

Squeaky Spaw on Oldham Road is open six days a week and can be reached by calling 479-855-7729.

Appointments for Wags can be made by calling Berger at 479-381-4857.

General News on 07/22/2015