Business: Sudzy Puppy
Address: 417 E. Ogden Ave., Naperville
Phone/website: 630-778-7297, www.sudzypuppy.com
Owner: Anna Pechin, of Lisle
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Manager: Shelley Heyden, of Naperville
Years in business: 3
What does your business do? “We groom dogs,” Pechin said. “Cats only on Sundays. Cats are a challenge.”
What happens when someone comes in? “The groomer will talk with them. See exactly what they’re looking for. How often is the dog groomed? What length of coat they’d like?” Heyden said.
“Our groomers are very hands-on compared to other pet grooming places. All of our groomers here are experienced. We value quality over quantity,” Pechin said.
What cut is best? “It depends on the client, the groomer and the dog. Some people think shaved short is easier. For me, it’s easier to do longer,” Heyden said. “A dog with a lot of undercoat will take longer. The longer since they had a cut, the longer it may take.”
How do you get a large dog on the grooming table? “We have tables that go all the way down,” Heyden said.
How many employees do you have? “Four groomers and one bather,” Pechin said.
What’s the background? “This business opened in 2012. I bought it in January 2020. Nice timing, right before the start of a pandemic,” Pechin said. “We were closed a month, then we were swamped.”
Why did you buy it? “I was impressed with the business. … Shelly was one of the managers who had been here a while. I was a CFO before. I had just had a child, I have two younger children now, four kids total. My career was so demanding. I knew how to run a business from being a CFO. … I had to do something where I was around (home) more. And I didn’t want to be a stay-at-home mom. … Shelley pretty much runs the day-to-day operations. I do a lot of the back-office stuff. Ordering. Marketing. Scheduling. Bookkeeping. Payroll,” Pechin said.
When are you open? “We are open (for dogs) every day except Sunday,” Heyden said. “We’re open as early as 7 a.m. most days until 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. depending on the day.”
How’s business? “We have a big clientele. We do a monthly email blast about the different services we offer. Mud baths. Aroma therapy,” Pechin said.
How much does grooming cost? “That’s such a wild question. It depends on the dog, the breed, and how often the owner brings them in. What kind of cut do they want? It’s a range based on breed and weight,” Pechin said.
What’s it’s like working with clients? “There was one guy who wanted to see a photo of his dog in the tub. So, I sent a picture,” Heyden said.
Is Naperville good for business? “Yes. People in this area truly care about their animals. They are a member of their family. It’s great to see. … It’s like (having) a child. Especially elderly people. Their children are grown. They’re lonely and the dog becomes their child. They really care and dote on their dog as they probably did on their kids,” Pechin said.
What sets you apart from other groomers? “We’re not the cheapest shop on the block. We’re not like (a national chain) and we don’t sell ourselves as that. We specialize and focus on the love and care of the animal. We don’t churn and burn. In and out. We focus on the dog wanting to come in here and having a good experience. … A quality groom from experienced groomers. That’s our goal. We care about our reputation,” Pechin said.
Any favorite stories? “I did someone’s dog for the first time. A mini sheltie. Long hair. They asked me for a certain cut. It’d hadn’t been groomed for a long time. I wasn’t really sure what they wanted. So, I cut it. It looked like a big ball. They said, ‘You gave my dog a bubble cut.’ I thought it was funny. Later on, they said, ‘I like it. Can you do it all the time?'” Heyden said.
What do you like best? “I’ve learned so much about dogs. I’ve always been a dog lover but I never knew all the details about dog grooming until I took this on. I love seeing all the different varieties of dogs. It’s a whole new world for me,” Pechin said.
“I like the dogs. I miss them legitimately when they move,” Heyden said. “It’s not a desk job. Every day is a little different.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “You can learn anything. You need to understand the little nuances of everything. How to do payroll, taxes.”
If you know of a business you’d like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Steve Metsch at [email protected].
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
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