Hidden Gems: Meet Jessica Hewett of Soggy Paws Pet Grooming

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Hewett.

Hi Jessica, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I fell into pet grooming unexpectedly over 15 years ago while working part time in a corporate pet store. I was attending community college to transfer to an art school when I felt that I just needed a break from school. Around that time I had transferred into the grooming salon at the pet store as a dog bather and a few months later was enrolled into their grooming academy. I was fascinated by the entire “dog world” and I was barely just beginning to learn all about it. A couple of years into my grooming journey I discovered competitive dog grooming, entered my first show, and I was hooked! I have placed multiple times over the years at our local industry expos in Pasadena, CA and Las Vegas, NV. In 2014 I left the corporate grooming world and opened my own salon in Torrance, CA and then moving locations to Lomita, CA in 2015. Soggy Paws Pet Grooming grew from an single-stylist, owner-operator grooming salon into a 5 stylist, award winning pet salon in a matter of a few years. The neighborhoods surrounding our salon has been so welcoming and supportive of our small business, helping it flourish into the business we are today.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a perfectly smooth road and sometimes I swear that I just got lucky. You are always told that most businesses fail in the first two years of being open. When I signed our first lease in October 2014 in Torrance I was told shortly after the property would be going up for sale and the business plaza would most likely be torn down sold for the land. In June of 2015 we moved locations a few blocks down the street into Lomita. So once again we had to do another lease negotiation and another build out. I then hired my first employee and had some hard-learned lessons and trials. I had no education on how to properly run a business when it came to wages, revenue, profit, etc. But I did know grooming and I connected with other grooming business owners in California on Facebook Groups who were happy to help mentor me. You quickly learn that when owning and running a business you wear a lot of different hats! Every year has presented its own set of different challenges from the COVID shut down to the ebbs and flows of the economy.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Soggy Paws Pet Grooming?
Soggy Paws Pet Grooming is an award-winning, woman-owned small business in Lomita specializing in dog and cat grooming. We aim to provide a low-stress environment where the stylist truly gets to know your pet. Our stylists are provided with yearly continuing education provided by the company to keep up on all the current trends in styling, products, equipment, pet health, and sanitation. We want our clients to feel comfortable and we strive to build a trusting bond with them and their pets.

Our stylists are some of the best out there! Our group works cohesively as a unit with the understanding that this job can be mentally, physically, and emotionally taxing. If someone is having a tough time trying to detail trim an area that they just can’t get right another stylist will team up with them and help them out. If a pet is struggling with a nail trim we will team up so it is easier on the pet and stylist. It amazes me every day to see how well they work together as a team and support one another.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
“Another Grooming Podcast” has to be my go to right now. It’s a very niche podcast but it reminds me as a groomer that I’m not the only one going through some of the crazy things we experience!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.soggypawsgrooming.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soggypawspetgrooming
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soggypawspetgrooming

Image Credits
Animal Photography by Ren Netherland