By Kadie Taylor
The Observer
OPELIKA —Pampering local furry friends, Grooms by Brooke serves local pups and pawparents by providing a range of grooming packages.
“I started working for myself, like four-ish years ago, but I have been in the pet industry since about 2012, and I’ve been grooming since around 2015 — so I’ve been in the pet industry for 13 years and grooming for 10,” said owner Brooke Parrott. “I learned how to groom at the first job I started at, then kind of worked my way from there and built my clientele over the last few years. Then once I transitioned to Opelika Animal Hospital, I was like, ‘Well, now that I’m on my own, I could start my own little business.’ I always wanted to work for myself, wanted to be my own boss and it’s probably the greatest thing ever.”
Since opening Grooms by Brooke, Parrott said she has watched her client list grow and gotten to know them like family.
“My growth has been absolutely amazing,” she said. “I have over 300 clients personally, which is crazy. My growth has really just been word of mouth from my customers. Half of my people will follow me to the end of the Earth, and I absolutely love it. They’re just super loyal, super amazing — I had several clients actually come to my wedding. Most of my people are like family to me.”
Parrott said she offers a variety of packages for every pup and preference, including fun color options.
“My Basic Groom is going to be a bath, blow dry, brush out, haircut, nail trim and ear cleaning,” she said. “My Sanitary option includes all of the same things [as the Basic Groom], except for the actual haircut. I offer several different add-ons, [which include], nail buffing, teeth brushing and coloring. I have a doodle that I groom about once a month and we usually do some kind of fun color on her. She actually gets a purple mullet most of the time — so that’s pretty fun. I have a Spa Package that I offer — you get the upgraded shampoo and conditioner, nail buffing, teeth brushing and I take a picture of your pet and then go in and add a cute little themed, seasonal background with it.”
With a recent move and a salon shed on the way, Parrott said she is excited to have a full-service salon to pamper pets in.
“I have recently moved; it was the last minute decision to move, so I wasn’t fully set up yet, but we decided to temporarily convert our storage shed into a small grooming area,” she said. “It’s not the prettiest, but it gets the job done. But I actually just went and purchased a 12×38 storage building that I’m going to convert into a full-service grooming salon.”
As Parrott reflected on the growth of Grooms by Brooke, and her excitement for her new salon, she said the support for her customers have helped her and her business thrive.
“My repeat customers that have stuck with me through the years, I could not be more thankful for them,” she said. “I have some customers that have literally been with me since I started growing [as a groomer]. I have several that have been with me for 10 years, and they are literally family. It’s kind of hard to put into words, but without my loyal customers, I could not still be doing what I do; I wouldn’t have been able to make this home transition and provide for myself the way I can without those people.”
For more information, visit Grooms by Brooke on Facebook.
