Harvey’s Dog Grooming Salon

John Hollinrake, 52, own’s Harvey’s Dog Grooming Salon in Carnforth, Lancashire and tells us all about how he built the fantastic grooming business.

Can you please introduce yourself?

After working as an analyst for a bank for almost 25 years, and whilst recovering from a serious illness, I was made redundant. I decided a change of career was needed and my wife encouraged me to retrain to be a dog grooming professional.

It was a totally new experience and a great summer was spent at Canine Groom School in Gisburn where I was trained and gained my qualifications. I never thought after a quarter of a century in an office job that I’d then be grooming dogs for a living, but here I am!

What can you tell me about Harvey’s?

The salon is named after my handsome golden cocker spaniel Harvey who is sadly no longer with us. However, I chose his name for my salon so, that way he’s still with me!

Although a lot of my clients call me Harvey, I don’t even bother correcting them now, it’s become my stage name. We opened by renting a space at a local dog boarding kennel, but unfortunately, that didn’t really work out.

I wasn’t getting the level of customers that I should have been, plus there were issues with their opening and closing times.

I decided I needed to leave there and took a leap by renting a high street shop that had become available nearby. My salon is directly opposite the newsagents my parents ran back in the mid-1970s!

I’ve always loved Carnforth so I’m super happy to be back. I took over the lease on my salon in December 2021, and it’s been really busy ever since!

What’s your USP, how does it work and how does it affect business?

I’m the only dog grooming salon in the area that also provides teeth cleaning services. I use Emmi-pet, it’s been a really great product to add on, and I have dozens of dental clients now.

I find the initial session is the one with the ‘wow-factor’ and then they go and tell their friends and family, and it spirals from there.

I also now have a sprinkling of cat clients too. It started off with a dear old lady who couldn’t travel and she asked me if I would collect her cat, brush her through, and then take her back. I agreed and didn’t charge her very much, but word has started to get around and now I’m getting a few queries from potential cat clients.

Although I do tell them I’m not a certified cat groomer, I still take them on. I guess the other thing is I’m able to handle the really big dogs too, and I’m just as happy lifting a 50kg Shepherd into the bath as I am a 5kg Chihuahua.

How has your business grown over the years and where do you see yourself going?

From starting off, to running my busy high street salon and being full for weeks in advance, I’m now looking into how to take the next step up. I’m considering taking an apprentice on, or a dedicated bather, allowing me to see more clients in a day and keep the waiting list down to a manageable level.

The last thing I want is to be turning customers away, I want them all myself! Having a bather would allow that to happen. After that, a second bath and table and a second groomer, allowing me to actually take some time off - that would be nice!

Am I too old to open a second salon after that? Maybe, but my ultimate plan is to have a couple of salons run for me by staff while I take a step back. That’s the longer-term plan anyway.

What advice would you like to give to our readers, if any, about the grooming industry?

The best advice I could give is to value yourself. Know your worth. Don’t undersell yourself. You provide a great service to a large market, and people need you. Solve their problem and charge a good fee, that way you’ll appreciate what you do even though it’s very hard physically and mentally draining work sometimes, and you’ll keep coming back for more. If you are cheap, it’s a chore. Also, always be looking for ways to improve your groom, and invest in good equipment always!

Any general thoughts you’d like to share?

I just like to think that you are never too old or never of the wrong skillset to retrain to become a grooming professional. There are good training schools around, so if you are thinking of a change of direction or looking for the vocation for you, go for it! You’ll learn a skill and trade that can carry you through life, plus working with dogs is always better than working with people.

Find us on Facebook and Instagram @harveyspetsalon, online at www.harveys.dog and TikTok at @harveys_dog_grooming.