43
Do-it-yourself dog wash gives owners options
By Elise Franco
Austintown
Scrub-a-dub-dub, one dog in a tub.
Lisa and Don Ellis opened Awesome Dog Wash, a 24-hour, self-serve wash at 4332 New Road, to give dog owners an easier option for cleaning their four-legged companions.
Lisa Ellis said they happened upon the idea while looking through a catalog related to a car wash they own, also on New Road. She said the idea of a self-serve dog wash is catching on on the West Coast, but she wanted to see how it would do here in the Mahoning Valley.
“A lot of people around here live in apartments, so they can’t just go out in their driveway and hose their dog off,” she said. “It’s more convenient for people, and they seem to love it.”
The wash is equipped with a large wash tub, shower hose and dryer hose. Ellis said each wash costs $7 for 10 minutes, and customers can choose different settings, such as shampoo, condition, flea treatment, oatmeal treatment and rinse.
“I really think it will start to take off,” she said. “We already have repeat customers who tell their friends about us.”
Don Ellis said over the next few years they hope to add two more wash tubs.
“Because it’s doing so well, sometimes we get people lined up to get in,” he said.
Lisa Ellis said it cost about $20,000 to start the business, and even with an average of about 15 customers per week, it will take several years to make enough profit to add the new tubs.
She said she thinks the dog wash is a good concept because many people don’t bathe their dogs in between trips to the groomer, and those who do might have a difficult time leaning over a bathtub at home.
“It’s a lot easier to wash a dog like this than trying to bend over a tub, and there’s no cleanup involved,” she said. “The first time here, having to work with the wand is intimidating, but you get the hang of it.”
Ellis said she and her husband stop by the wash at least three times daily to make sure the place is clean for the next customers. She said they have yet to run into issues keeping the business open 24 hours.
“We have good customers who haven’t given us any problems,” she said.