Park and Bark brings the groomers to the pets
A new business is adding pet grooming to the list of home-delivered services people can access in the area.
Jena and Dylan Klimpke of Westboro recently opened Park and Bark Mobile Pet Salon. The salon operates out of a converted mini-bus and includes fullservice pet pampering services from nail trimming to full grooming and haircuts to all sizes of dogs, cats, and rabbits.
Jena has been a stay at home mom to her daughter, Evelyn. She previously worked as a veterinary tech in Phillips. After noting how busy she has been with friends and acquaintances asking for help trimming their pets’ nails and other grooming needs, and seeing that existing groomers had closed, the couple looked at ways to open a pet grooming salon.
One of the challenges for any traditional brick and mortar grooming business is the amount of overhead needed to acquire and maintain a location. The Klimpke’s have worked to reduce their overhead expenses through having a mobile facility. This also allowed them to bring the business to where the customers are, rather than hoping for customers to find them.
Jena noted that many people may have difficulty bringing their pets to a location. She also noted that for the animals being able to look out the windows and see their own yards makes the grooming process less stressful for them, than being dropped off to some new location. Jena said this not only reduces anxiety in the pets but also with the pet owners who can be nearby.
Dylan said it took him about a month to convert the used mini-bus into a working grooming space. The mobile salon is self-contained and fully insured. A 35-gallon water tank on board provides the water needed for the grooming. Waste water from washing and grooming goes into a second tank located under the sink. A heavy-duty power inverter allows Jena to operate her clippers, blowers and other grooming tools with a handy mounted vacuum to clean up the loose fur. An overhead rack along one side of the bus provides storage space for towels and equipment. Everything is secured for travel.
Jena said they plan to provide services in an area from around Stetsonville to Phillips which includes most of Taylor County. She is also looking at partnering with groups such as the Taylor County Humane Society to do nail trimming clinics at their location or finding spots in different communities to set up for a day.
