Reporter for The Canyon Weekly
By James Day
When Eric Granados retired from law enforcement he moved to Mill City, where his family had vacationed for decades, to think about his next move.
At 49 he had plenty of time for a second career, and he said he always wanted to go into business for himself. Ultimately he chose to open the Groom Room, a mobile pet grooming concern. Based in Mill City the company’s vehicle, a customized and converted 21-passenger shuttle bus, roams up the Santiam Canyon, and down to Stayton and Aumsville, even to Salem.
Anywhere within a 35- to 40-mile radius.
His daughter and co-owner, Mariah, who has professional training in pet grooming, handles the animals, while Granados drives the truck, books clients and takes care of the administrative tasks.
“I’m a good assistant,” he said.
Granados said that the 1-on-1 relationship that Mariah has with the animals makes it a less stressful experience.
“It’s all positive,” Granados said. “They don’t even have this service out in the Canyon. People are wanting this type of service.
“And we do a great job. The dogs come out all happy and look great. We are getting really positive feedback. It’s a really neat payoff.”
Open since Jan. 17, the Groom Room will handle both dogs and cats, but to date only dog owners have made appointments. The pets receive a massaging bath, a complete dry, get their nails clipped, their ears cleaned, hot spots and dry skin attended to and leave with cologne and a bandana.
Granados proudly shows off the interior of the grooming truck, which includes a lift to get the animals – some of whom weigh more than 100 pounds – to tub level, a high-tech washing and shampooing system and a combination clippers-vacuum contraption that sucks up the hair as it trims.
“We give our groomer all the tools to do the business safely for the dogs,” Granados said. “All of our shampoos are biodegradable.”
The well-stocked supply chest in the truck even includes a de-skunking compound.
Granados says that many groomers will handle six dogs per day, but the Groom Room tops out at four.
“That extra dog or two can squeeze it,” he said of the scheduling challenges. “We take our time on it.”
Granados says the company “already is building up a lot of clientele,” mainly via social media and word of mouth.
“Word of mouth is a big one,” he said, “and we also offer $25 off if you refer us to someone, and the other party gets $15 off.”
The business also is setting up for expansion. Granados is arranging for a custom-built grooming trailer that would give the company double the capacity.
Granados said he is thinking about expanding into the horse field, but he isn’t sure yet if he will take the plunge.
“Horses take a lot longer,” he said.
The Groom Room’s mobile pet service can be reached at 541-801-0447 or go to groomroomllc.net.
