From horses to hounds, Benton man switches careers to open dog grooming business

Chris Cunningham brushes Lyla, a golden retriever, at his new business The Groom Room on Friday, July 12, in Cape Girardeau. Cunningham said the business has been operating nonstop since opening in mid-June, grooming around a dozen dogs each day.

Christopher Borro ~ cborro@semissourian.com

Some of Chris Cunningham’s closest friends are longtime dog groomers, so the Benton resident learned the trade from them. Sensing the Cape Girardeau market was underserved in the dog grooming business, he and his partner, Christian Shipley, opened The Groom Room at 1331 N. Kingshighway in June.

“When I decided I wanted to do it, I hit the ground running. Came up with a plan, made my logo. Within 30 days, my doors were open,” Cunningham said. “… I really expected to start slowly. There’s not been nothing slow. The doors opened and the dogs have been pouring in.”

Cunningham and Shipley usually bathe and groom six or seven dogs apiece each day since they opened. They also offer nail trims and de-shedding services.

When Cunningham and Shipley acquired their Kingshighway location, it was configured for an insurance-type office space. They removed the carpet to protect against messes, stained the floor and ordered various products to be used for washing and grooming their clientele.

“I think to have the upper hand as a dog groomer, you have to have the best products, so I made sure when I was ordering my supplies I did my research and I ordered the best of the supplies,” Cunningham said.

During grooming sessions, Cunningham inspects dogs for matted hair, washes them, dries them off and cuts their hair, styling it to the owners liking if requested.

“I have some owners that want all the works and I have some where they’re just like, make them comfortable,” he said.

He said he takes in any kind of dogs, even those that don't fit in at other grooming facilities.

“I’m pretty patient and persistent, so I’ve done a couple dogs that most groomers cannot,” he said.

Cunningham has three dogs of his own — a standard poodle named Bentley, a Brussels Griffon named Greta and a German Shepherd named Ginger. He competes in shows with Ginger, and two close friends own separate dog training facilities in the region, so he has never been far removed from the world of canines.

Still, the dog is a new breed of animal for him to work with in his professional career. Much of his work has instead centered on horses. He previously operated Royal Performance Equine in Benton.

“In the horse training business, the money is kind of here-and-there, so that’s how I got the idea to open this. I’ve always done something animal-related,” Cunningham said.

He added the jump from horses to dogs was not all that difficult.

“I feel like with animals, when you break it down, they’re all kind of the same,” Cunningham said.

The Groom Room is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and by appointment only Saturday.

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