Claire Burnham has turned her passion into a new spa housed on Shropshire town’s main high street
Dog owners in Shropshire now have a brand new place to give their furry friends a makeover.
Business owner Claire Burnham has launched The Dog Spa Newport in the former home of America Nails beauty salon on the town’s main high street.
She is offering services such as full grooms, hair trims, ‘pawdicure’, deshedding, ear and teeth cleaning and even a dog facial.
Claire, 45, said: “I have primarily worked as a secretary but have loved dogs all my life.
“Due to having children, I couldn’t previously take the time out to train to be a dog groomer, however I have spent the past year working in the industry and decided to open my own salon.
“There wasn’t a high street salon in Newport, I think the nearest one is in Telford, and I feel it’s something that was missing from the town’s high street. It’s a big step, taking the plunge and launching your own business.
“I was initially going to open it at home in my garage but, because you’re not seen, it would have had to be heavily marketed so I opted to open a new salon instead.”
Claire spent three months planning the venture including giving the former nail salon a facelift by installing new flooring along with adding kit such as a bath, table and all the necessary cleaning products which she had amassed while doing her training.
A typical groom takes at least two hours and pricing starts at around £55 but all of this depends on the size of the dog and treatments received.
The mum of two teenagers has worked as a PA for the past eight years and will continue to do that on a part-time basis on the weekdays when the salon is not open.
She said she was concerned about a lack of regulation within the dog grooming sector.
“Believe it or not, it is an unregulated industry meaning anyone can set up as a dog groomer,” she said.
“It’s actually quite scary. There are some groups which are trying to legalise standards and get the industry to a point where people need to be trained to be able to open a business.
“That has already started with insurance. A couple of providers won’t let you have insurance if you are under a certain standard.”
Her longer-term ambition is to operate the dog grooming business full time.
“My current employer is very understanding but the plan is to continue building up my client base before moving to run the salon full time, maybe from September,” she added.
“I am currently working alone but I would also love to create jobs although I would have to move to a larger salon to do that. There are not many opportunities in the local area so I would like to create at least one or two jobs in the future.
“We are getting some online reviews and world-of-mouth recommendations. The business is growing steadily but well.”
