The Yuppie Puppy is celebrating the opening of their new location in Oak Park on Sunday, November 5th from noon until 2 p.m. Dogs and their owners are welcome to stop by to check out the new facilities at 1042 Chicago Avenue.
Jill Showalter has owned and operated Yuppie Puppy Dog Grooming for 12 years. She, along with her husband Brent, also owns Doggie Day Play and Yuppie Puppy Dog Walking. Jill said the time was right for the move. The client base kept growing, but the old space on Harlem Avenue was not, so the couple began to look for a location nearby that would offer them the space they needed to continue to offer clients the great level of service they were used to with more convenient scheduling and better perks for the pet clients.
Showalter notes that there was no blueprint for how to design an ideal dog grooming building, so they designed it themselves with plenty of input from Yuppie Puppy Dog Grooming staff and the expertise of a mechanical engineer. Great care was taken to make sure the space fit the neighborhood.
“It’s in sight of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio and is the first new building to be built in sight of the Home and Studio in more than sixty years. Inside and out, the design was important.”
They maximized the square footage to allow Jill to fit in more dog grooming stations and more space for the dogs and staff.
“We went from two to six bathing tubs and now have custom drying stations so that dogs have more space and don’t have to interact with each other while they are being worked on. We worked hard to design a space where the dogs have a good experience in the process.”
The new space will have Yuppie Puppy doubling their staff in the short-term, which means clients can schedule a grooming with less lead time.
At the same time, they emphasize that the new location will allow Jill to do more of what she excels at: offering pets and their owners personalized service in a facility that is clean and welcoming to dogs of all ages and temperaments.
During Sunday’s Open House, visitors will be welcome to check out the spacious lobby, the back grooming areas and the downstairs Doggie Day Play space. Staff from the Showalters’ other pet-focused businesses will be on hand to talk about their services.
The Yuppie Puppy is located at 1042 Chicago Avenue in Oak Park. Normal business hours are Tuesdays through Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the Yuppie Puppy Dog Grooming, visit www.yuppiepuppyoakpark.com or call 708-358-2200.