“We took a chance.”
That’s Rob Mead, who with his wife Sara imagined, designed, and recently opened the self-service dog wash station Stella & Sawyer Self Serve Dog Wash at 4500 Red Arrow Hwy, Unit D in Stevensville.
The pair arrived at the idea of owning their own wash service after looking at the vibrant number of doggie day cares in the area, translating that into a cottage service opportunity providing dog owners a fully self-contained, walk-up, and convenient place to give Fido, Rover, Daisy, and all the other furry friends of Southwest Michigan a quick bath.
“We just thought there was a need for our dogs to have a nice place to go instead of making such a mess in our house. I came home and my bathroom was disaster and (Sara) would be a disaster. So it was something we thought of while these buildings were being built. I talked to Mark Williams who owns the buildings and he thought about it and said, ‘Go for it.'”
Rob is also the owner and operator of Mead Plumbing, a commercial/residential plumbing service. He not only imagined the plumbing design required for the dog wash stations, he also installed the piping and fixtures as the operation came to life.
Sara saw, first hand, the potential pool of customers and knew there was an opportunity.
“I’ve taken the dogs to daycare, I know they come home a mess, so they get right in the bathtub. There’s just so many dog lovers and owners in the area. People just love to take care of their animals, I feel like this was a real need.”
VIDEO: Former Red Coach Donuts owner Joy Bancroft and her pup Mead using the new dog wash station.
But imagining a dog wash service is one thing. Making it come to life, Sara explained, is another.
“It took a while. It was a labor of love for sure because of shipping and all the little things that go into opening a small business. It took almost a year before it actually came to life. We were hoping to be open last fall.”
The self-serve wash stations are imported from a specialty company in the Netherlands. Rob said he did the research and chose what he said were the best units for the startup.
“The machines came from overseas and it took a while to get them here. They took longer than what they had told me (because) once the shipping containers got to the States, they found a couple of bugs. Not in our machines, but they sent the whole shipping container back, and then we had to wait.”
That delayed the opening by about three months, but eventually, the machines arrived in good shape. Now the focus is on getting the word out and attracting potential customers.
“I think once the travelers come, business will pick up pretty good. It’s been what we’ve expected so far, but I think this is going to be considered our slow season. Starting out, we’ve had on average 10 to 12 washes a day in just the first week,” said Sara.
At the standalone machines, users can walk their pooch up the ramp, secure them in the tub, and use cash or electronic payment to shower their canine with suds and other dog-specific treatments. But it’s not just dogs that can have all the fun.
“We have had a few inquiries on if people could bring a cat in and I said, ‘If your cat enjoys a bath, you’re more than welcome to come to the wash,’ but I definitely want pictures of that.”
Why the name Stella & Sawyer? The business is named for their two beloved furry doodles (Stella is the black one). Each reflected not only in the name, but in the logo, as well. Sara said the pictures in the logo are spot on.
“It’s their personalities. You can see it in the design.”
As for future plans, Rob and Sara are focused on making this venture successful but they’re also looking at the potential for expanding.
“We kind of thought about seeing how well this goes and maybe head to a different area. We’ll just see how this goes first.”
The location is open seven days a week, 7 am to 9 pm. Bring your towel and they supply everything else you’ll need for a clean pup.
