Canine To Five is growing both in and outside of Detroit these days. The dog boarding and pet grooming business is expanding its footprint in Midtown and opening a new space in Ferndale.
The 7.5-year-old company has grown its revenue 20 percent in the last year. That allowed the firm to hire nine people in the last year, including three new groomers and five new dog handlers.
"Some really important things happened this year," says Liz Blondy, owner of
Canine To Five. "The managers I have at Canine To Five are so good that I can leave the business in their hands while I grow the business elsewhere."
Elsewhere includes a new dog daycare and boarding facility at 2141 Hilton St in Ferndale. The new location is expected to open this winter. The new location is set up to help facilitate the Canine To Five's growing suburban clientele. For the company's first five years its customer base was evenly split between Detroiters who lived nearby and suburanites who commuted downtown for work. In the last two years the percentage of suburban clients has grown to 60 percent.
"Quicken Loans has been a blessing for our business," Blondy says. "The average Quicken employee is young, excited about being here and they love Detroit. They are in their 20s so they will get a dog. It's like a starter baby."
Canine To Five is also growing its original location on Cass Avenue. The business has expanded its play yard to 12,000 square feet and now has separate areas for small and big dogs. The old play yard on the north side of the building has been turned into employee parking. In 2013, Blondy is looking at further expanding the Detroit location, getting the new Ferndale space running smoothly and aiming at opening a third location.
Source: Liz Blondy, owner of Canine To Five
Writer: Jon Zemke
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