Setting up a small salon

Hi guys as some of you may already know in approx 18 months I will be setting up a salon and giving up mobile grooming. My boss at my vet job and I have come to an agreement on space and he is currently having plans put together for our clinics renovations. (we bought the building next door so the clinic is doubling in size)

He has asked me to put together a comprehensive list of what i will require in my area. I have been allocated a space of approx 3.3m wide x 2.7m long. he has agreed to put a shop front in for me Currently there is just a garage door. The area is completely tiled.

I have thought of simple things like hot and cold water, i thought 4 double power points would be good, waste water, air conditioning, rubber matting for the floor.

I will have use of the clinic washer and dryer and can use the clinic kennels.

I am getting a groomers friend tub, table and dryer. but will need to find storage and a small reception desk.

Any help of other things and where to get them would be much appreciated

Thanks in advance

Carissa

What an exciting venture Carissa...All the best with the setting up...Sounds like you definitely have things under control.. Bunnings sell storage units in prefab you might be interested in having a look

Thanks Donna, I will go have a look there.

I have attached a salon plan of how i am thinking of setting it up at the moment

Any chance of the plan in pdf? Not showing up right on my phone properly. Was thinking that 4 doubles might not be enough? Still thinking

no worries

Nice layout, change your double outlets to the 4 outlet version, depending on your power available you can never have enough.
You will love working in a salon environment

I would get an electric table rather than a hydraulic as the lift is smoother and less distressing for the dog

Thanks, I will see if i can get the 4 outlet ones installed,
so far electrically i have the force dryer, clipper vac, clippers, computer, printer, hand dryer, vacuum cleaner. I guess that's 7 so more may be needed.
and as you said you can never have enough.

doglover wrote:I would get an electric table rather than a hydraulic as the lift is smoother and less distressing for the dog

I have looked at the electric ones but still like the groomers friend table.

I have one in my trailer and am really happy with it, it goes up and down pretty smoothly.

gumsgrooming wrote:

doglover wrote:I would get an electric table rather than a hydraulic as the lift is smoother and less distressing for the dog

I have looked at the electric ones but still like the groomers friend table.

I have one in my trailer and am really happy with it, it goes up and down pretty smoothly.

Electric will save you $$ but I have to agree with you Carissa about the Groomers Friends table. Out of all the tables I have seen on the market ( have been researching a lot lately as I need another table for the drying room ) the powder coated aluminum frame with the fiberglass top and stainless steel fittings has to be the best for the prevention of ingres of dog pee/water/moisture etc. All the other tables I have seen have wooden tops with edging and there is now guarantee the dog pee/water/moisture wont soak into the wood base. JMO
Oh and I have 2 of them already and love them

Christopher...

We are currently building a new premises and one main issue re power , if possible run your dryer power points on separate circuits , and make them 15 amp power outlets, especially if they have heating elements.

You'll never say "Jeez, I regret putting in too many plugs". In the reception area you may want EFTPOS machine, and cordless phone too, so, the more the merrier

With the bath area, are you left or right handed? With the wall mounted dryer, if you're right handed, you may get annoyed having the hose across you as you're trying to work. Maybe switch to the back wall?

With the work area, I'm guessing you'll be working on the matting, but you'll have your back to the door.

Work out where and what lighting you want too.

Just a couple of thoughts.

Gotta agree with Anthony. I work in the smallest area of all of you but outlets and lighting come first. You can use cup hooks to hold scissors. Very cheap and easy. I use them to hold my clippers, dematters, you name it.
I would just watch the distance between my clipping and bathing area. The moisture from force drying in the tub will kill your tools.

I suggest (apart from agreeing with my brilliant forum buddies) two double fluoros (that's with two big windows as well) and putting a big mirror behind your grooming table. (You can pick them up cheap in op shops) .
The other thing I had done was a double power point in the ceiling to avoid tripping over cords.
Good luck! You will have a ball.

mutleymanor wrote:
The other thing I had done was a double power point in the ceiling to avoid tripping over cords.
Good luck! You will have a ball.

Agree, have to do this my self...

Thanks for all your ideas guys, i can't change the location of the bath/table cause the water is only on one side of the room, so my back will have to be turned. I am thinking of keeping the door locked though and having a doorbell.



Thanks Anthony i hadn't thought of what side to put the dryer, i am right handed so will switch it to the other side, can't use the back wall cause there isn't one lol the other half of the room is empty and is going to be used by the clinic at night to dry washing.



My master plan is to become big enough and convince my boss to let me have the other half of the room. My theroy- renting the space makes money, drying washing doesn't



I am thinking the shop front will be glass which will provide light but where should i put in the fluro lights, above the table i guess and above the bath?



Power points in the ceiling is a great idea Merryl thanks.



Also does anyone know if i can change my business name easily, its currently groomin' on the go but I don't feel that to be a good salon name so was thinking of changing it to Penrith Pet Grooming.



Thanks Again



Carissa

gumsgrooming wrote:Also does anyone know if i can change my business name easily, its
currently groomin' on the go but I don't feel that to be a good salon
name so was thinking of changing it to Penrith Pet Grooming.

Not sure how it works in NSW but I would just register a new business name, and penrithpetgrooming.com.au is available

Good suggestion Chris then you can retain the old one as a backup in case you want to keep it going or go back to it at any time...Penrith Pet Grooming sounds good and if you are looking to obtain that penrithpetgrooming.com.au domain then this link might help ... https://actsi.biz/whmcs/aff.php?aff=003

gumsgrooming wrote:.


Also does anyone know if i can change my business name easily, its currently groomin' on the go but I don't feel that to be a good salon name so was thinking of changing it to Penrith Pet Grooming.



Carissa

I had to change mine last year from my mobile name to the salon....just paid for a new business name & use the same ABN ....for 6 months I ran both business's ..(til I closed the mobile one down)...but because it the same ABN & the same industry, Its only the 1 tax return ...I can cancel my mobile trading name or just let it expire..(which is what i will do )

Good luck Carissa. Lighting and power (sufficient amp around dryers with heating I find paramount. You can get "daylight" tubes which give better light too...and maybe a "bell" to let you know when someone enters the shop as you may not notice people whilst working at your stations the way they are positioned. Love all the other input ideas...

Carissa you need lighting more for the table than washing (you do need light to wash of course, but you absolutely need it to clip and scissor). Overall, the more light the better. You may find that the light from the shop front is not enough and I find direct sunlight actually "blinds" me. You need "diffused" light, hence the double fluoros with the diffuser cover.

Anyone have experience with the new LED lights? They only come in downlights I think, but the light would be good maybe? Saw them on a tv show but don't know much about them.

I had a troubleshooter from sunnylighting.com.au visit my salon after the construction as I was having problems with the Compact Florescent Lights down lights burning out. Whilst he was fixing the issue ( had to change the light fitting profile as I was sold the wrong ones) we had an interesting conversation re light output all flouros tubes and CFL's (Compact Floro Lights). The Warm Cool White is brighter than the Daylight by a minimum of 100 lumens and the big thing is Warm Cool White shows colours as it should be. I was a bit skeptical at first but then he showed me the difference via a light meter and a colour test against the wall of the salon. I must say BIG DIFFERENCE. He said for the best light distribution is twin floro's with no diffuser which is what I had in the old salon (wrong tubes) and I would have them in the new salon but I wanted a clean ceiling and I have a lower than normal ceiling hence downlights.
I asked him about LED downlights and he said "Stick with what you have as you cant go tubes" and the conversation ended there re the LED's.

Well i guess his lack of commitment one way or the other speaks for itself on the LED's.. And seems he know being the lighting experts and all

Here we go, I changed the left light back to Day Light and the right is still Cool White. It is an illusion that the left one is brighter because a light meter cant fudge the reading