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player ready...A Cicero couple has opened a pet grooming salon in the Oak Park Arts District.
Amada Perez and her husband, Gustavo, opened Bubbles and Brushes for Paws pet grooming salon at 130 Harrison St. The space was formerly occupied by longtime arts district shop Pamela Penney Textile Arts, which closed in late 2016.
The couple had been planning for the grooming business for about two years. While shopping within the arts district in last year, they found the 850-square-foot space and opened the salon around the start of the new year.
“We walked around and liked the area,” Perez said. “We feel really welcome. We’re so glad that we could open our shop right here.”
Peréz said her husband enjoyed showing their two Shih Tzus and one standard poodle as a handler at dog shows, and learned how to properly groom them. He then decided to attend grooming school in 2015, she said.
“We both are dog lovers,” Peréz said.
The open salon space allows customers to see how the Perezes work with the animals, she said. Outfitting the space for the salon required minimal work, including plumbing for bath tubs.
“It wasn’t that much,” Peréz said.
Harriet Coles, owner of Sirius Cooks just a few doors to the west, appreciates having another pet-related business within the arts district, mentioning that the specialty food shop for dogs and cats refers customers to Bubbles and Brushes and Pet Vets veterinary office, and vice versa.
“It’s a great addition to the neighborhood,” Coles said of Bubbles and Brushes. “We all work together, and word-of-mouth is really how we grow.”
Although an arts-related business like Penney’s leaving the district “is a big loss for us,” Laura Maychruk, owner of The Buzz Cafe and president of the Oak Park Arts District, said she’s happy to see a vibrant business fill the space.
“What a great little business for our neighborhood,” Maychruk said.
Perez said they’ve been surprised by the matting they’ve seen on some dogs and would recommend customers bring their animals in to be groomed more frequently than they might think. More frequent appointments also helps the animals become more accustomed to being groomed, she added.
Bubbles and Brushes for Paws, 130 Harrison St. in Oak Park, is open from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The grooming salon takes appointments and walk-in clients. For more information, call 773-956-7330 or visit www.bubblesandbrushesforpaws.com.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.