Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephi Chen.
Hi Stephi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began my grooming career in 2019 as a bather, quickly learning the ropes, and was the backbone of running the salon while apprenticing to be a full groomer. Throughout the years, however, I went through several salons after disagreeing with the owner management of each one. Eventually, I was able to return to my childhood home in PQ and I decided to open my own private salon there. At The Scrubbery salon, I finally am able to run my own place as I see fit to better service the dogs and clients I care about.
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?
I did not intend to begin dog grooming at all. I graduated Westview High School in 2012 and went to UC Santa Barbara to study Zoology. Within 2 weeks, due to underlying mental illness and being vastly unprepared to be on my own, I had a catastrophic meltdown. I fought as hard as I could, but eventually, it was clear that UCSB was not for me. My mental illness purposely flunked myself out after 1 year, with the reasoning that no one could make me return. After returning home to San Diego, it took 5 more years to finish college where I graduated from SDSU with a degree in Japanese and French. (I did this because I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore and regardless of what I ended up doing, languages would be helpful.) Along the way, I began volunteering at SD Department of Animal Services, walking shelter dogs and giving them interaction from their stressful kennel lives. I also began walking dogs through Rover and met wonderful dog friends along the way. After graduation, I decided that I just wanted to take care of dogs. I found an opening at the very salon my family’s dog gets groomed and it went from there.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Scrubbery. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
The Scrubbery is a home-based dog salon where I am the sole groomer and operator. It was definitely inspired by the senior dogs in my life, whom I recognized had different grooming needs than most. Many older dogs need special attention; some are not able to physically handle the stress of a busy salon. Many salons work on multiple dogs at once, thus taking 3-4 hours to complete a dog from appointment drop-off. At The Scrubbery, I groom each dog 1-on-1 without pause, which makes the process much faster, and doesn’t have clients’ dogs sitting around in a stressful environment for hours. I also pride myself in a comfortable grooming process. Grooming is stressful for many dogs, and I believe it is important not to push a dog past their limits to finish some part of the groom. Basically, although I do love creating a beautiful appearance, I will not overwhelm a dog to do so, so pet parents who prioritize appearance first should look elsewhere.
Lastly, I am a self-proclaimed Shiba Master (IG: @sheebamasta). I discovered that my past coworkers cringed at the thought of grooming any Shiba Inu; one even warned me that though I liked them, I no longer would after grooming one, as they are notoriously difficult and dramatic. This definitely did not turn out to be the case. I found that my extreme love and obsession for the breed makes Shiba grooms perfectly enjoyable regardless of their shenanigans. Eventually, I made it known of my Shiba obsession, and I have amassed a delightful army of Shiba clients. Though I definitely have scars from these grooms, I am so happy any time a Shiba walks through the door, as I rarely got to groom them in the past. I also have my own senior Shiba Inu I adopted in 2019, whom I have made the manager of The Scrubbery!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thescrubbery.tumblr.com
- Instagram: sheebamasta
