EAST LANSING, Mich. — A new business is coming to East Lansing next month, and will offer services like Dead Sea mud baths, blueberry moisturizing facials, deep conditioning treatments and blow outs...for dogs.
The 778-square-foot space at 1306 East Michigan Ave. was once home to Gillespie Group's Midtown Leasing Office. Then, it sat vacant for about six months, and now, it will be PawSnickety Pet Salon.
"PawSnickety Pet Salon—my mom actually came up with it for me," owner Melissa Porlick said. "I am very particular. I'm very picky. I take my time. Everything to me has to be perfect, which is sometimes a little bit much, but I'm a PawSnickety person, so I wanted a PawSnickety salon."
"We love adding tenants to our buildings that service the community," Gillespie Group's Leasing and Business Development Manager Megan Weber said. "With the increase of animals, even in our residential units, we know there's a demand out there that people need to groom their pets."
A quick Google search found only two other pet groomers in the 48823 zip code, but Gillespie Group says almost half of its East Lansing and Downtown Lansing tenants have at least one pet.
"We knew it was a perfect fit because we've heard it from our residents" Weber said. "Interviewing different businesses, community members—when a dog groomer approached us, we were super excited and acted on that quickly."
According to data from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the number of pets adopted from shelters and rescues in Ingham and Clinton counties grew by about 400 pets from 2020 to 2021.
"Right now, the issue with dog grooming is like—it's a nationwide problem," Porlick said. "All across America, honestly, there's a shortage of groomers ever since COVID...a lot of groomers had a hard time coming back into work."
Porlick is 24 years old and has been grooming dogs for six years.
"I started out just doing my own dogs," Porlick said. "I apprenticed under somebody, and then I went to grooming school. I've worked in a few salons, and I really just wanted to do things my own way."
The goal is for PawSnickety to open in early October, Wednesday through Sunday, though Porlick said she is already booked through the first half of the month.
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