Sister moving to MD and wanting to continue house call grooming business

[Anonymous]

She has a very successful business in coastal SC and wants to do the same up here. He sets up usually in a garage or laundry room and grooms small dogs. What is the typical cost of this service in the DC area? Her pricing right now starts at $85 for a small dog, but it's very low cost of living there. She has a full client list and seems to have them on every 2 to 4 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Well, she should stay there with her full client list. I wouldn't pay that. It's less to take our dog to petsmart.

[Anonymous]

She should do her homework and enquire from rival services what they charge.

[Anonymous]

Really? What do you get for $85? My dog is under 15 pounds and the most I ever spent at the groomer was like $30. No way in hell I'd pay anywhere close to that for my dog. And I take really good care of my dog.

[Anonymous]

I simply cannot believe that in a low cost of living area there are people spending $85 (starting price for a small dog!!) every two-4 weeks. I spend that much to get "groomed" at my hair saloon two or three times a year, I would certainly would not spend that much on a dog every two weeks (and I love dogs, but I never had to groom mine every 2-4 weeks, maybe Paris Hilton does it but she does not have much else to do). like the other poster, she should stay where she is, I doubt she is going to have a full client list here with those prices

[Anonymous]

Is she in an area where there are a lot of wealthy retirees? Maybe they can afford those prices.

[Anonymous]

I'm in Rockville and her prices seem to align with a mobile groomer in MoCo. I can't remember the name, but my neighbor uses them. My dog is large, so I passed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in Rockville and her prices seem to align with a mobile groomer in MoCo. I can't remember the name, but my neighbor uses them. My dog is large, so I passed.

+1. I don't think these prices are out of line for downcounty MoCo and upper NW, but the mobile groomers I have seen have trucks where they groom the animals, not inside someone's home. In my neighborhood most people do not have garages and may or may not have a space inside where they would want someone to set up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in Rockville and her prices seem to align with a mobile groomer in MoCo. I can't remember the name, but my neighbor uses them. My dog is large, so I passed.

+1. I don't think these prices are out of line for downcounty MoCo and upper NW, but the mobile groomers I have seen have trucks where they groom the animals, not inside someone's home. In my neighborhood most people do not have garages and may or may not have a space inside where they would want someone to set up.

+2 We pay $100 for a mobile groomer in MoCo. Keep in mind that many, many people don't really have garages or laundry rooms here. That might be going on way out in the suburbs though.

[Anonymous]

OP here- I agree, right now her clients are mostly retired with homes ranging from 100k to 300k. I told her prices are very cheap here compared to her charges there based on everyone's posts. Her husband is trying to move here for a job. If you ask me, for a 20k a year raise . BLAH! I looked up some Alexandria shop prices and they seem to be inline with her pricing. She also called a dog daycare in DC and they gave her $75 and up prices for your tiny dog size. I'm guessing she can make it happen, but this will take time to rebuild. Also said that most of my friends here wait until the dog is in rough shape and then have them grooming.