New dog service hopeful local economy will support business

By Jack Carver

BELLEVILLE, ONT (03/05/2012) Tammy Yeots, owner of new Belleville store, Yuppy Puppys, hopes to open her new salon by Saturday, and plans to give back to the community. Photo By Jack Carver

Belleville’s small business foundation is getting another brick, or bark, as a brand new dog grooming salon opens in the city.

Tammy Yeots is the proud owner of the newly opening Yuppy Puppy dog grooming service on Bridge Street East in Belleville.

“This is my first business,” said Yeots.”After some tough times from the recession three to four years ago, I was offered to go back to school and I’ve always wanted to do something in the pet industry.”

Yeots said that she thinks her competitive prices and community connections will give her business a boost.

But will that be enough? Manager of Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives, Karen Poste thinks so.

“It’s always a good time to set up a business in Belleville.  As any business, you have to do your homework, you have to know who your client is, and you have to be getting to those clients in the right way. Absolutely, now is a great time to start a business in Belleville.”

Yeots said that she certainly has done her homework when it comes to setting up her salon.

“There’s always a concern about the first few months, but I see people with their pets, and everyone loves their pets, and it seems people have money to spend on them. Especially the empty-nesters, these are their babies now,” she said with a laugh.

There are a lot of factors to consider when opening a new business anywhere, not just in Belleville, Poste said.

“Are they in the right location, are they in the right market, are they doing enough advertising and promotion, were they properly capitalized, have they done a complete and proper business plan. There are all kinds of things that can impact a business in terms of how long they stay open.”

Yeots said that giving back to community is one strategy she plans to use to stay open.

“I’m looking into volunteering with the humane society for grooming some dogs that need to be taken care of. Once the shop is set up I’ll start looking for ways I can give back to the community.”