Woofers Grooming & Goodies
Judging from all the likes on our Facebook post, many of you are familiar with this local business – Woofers Grooming & Goodies on Pacific Avenue in Spanaway. We recently spent time with Lyn Borcherding in her office – a happy working space with plenty of room, supplies and activities for children and dogs. Other attendees in our meeting were mother and daughter Ginger (a poodle) and Ellie (a goldendoodle). We also experienced happy interruptions from Olivia, soon to be 5-year-old granddaughter and Lyn’s best friend who provides lovely and creative poodle memorabilia and shares in the care of kids and dogs.
This is a family whose lives are intertwined with each other and their care of dogs, and the dogs we met during our visit “left pawprints on our hearts”.
Jon and Lyn started Woofers in July of 2008 after selling their successful spray-on truck bed liner business. For a time, Lyn and her husband boarded and trained dogs in their home. Jon hunts with Gordon Setters. (The family also raises chickens, pigs, and rabbits… we’ll explore this further when we celebrate National Other Pet Day!)
Not a dog groomer herself, Lyn understands how to build and manage successful business ventures and hire the right people for the work. She and her husband built and operate Woofers alongside her daughter Kailin, son Kyle, and grandchildren Oliva and Mason. Lyn’s grandchildren are homeschooled and growing up at Woofers where they interact daily with the community, master animal husbandry, and learn how to buy and sell products, deliver a service, and manage money. At 4 years old, Oliva knows how to take dogs back to the grooming stations with her Mom, assist customers with product selection, and operate the cash register.
Lyn inherited her work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit from her 82-year-old father, Lee Hughes, who still works every day except when fishing at Neah Bay. A logger for many years, he cuts and sells firewood. The family has lived for three generations in this area, and Lyn graduated from Bethel High School.
The Woofers building has some history of its own. At one time it hosted a ceramic shop. Dan Caramandi operated The Lineup in this building. Some of you may remember Dan – he was active in the Bethel Recreation Association. He passed away in 2019 and was remembered for “always going above and beyond expectations by driving around on a Saturday morning delivering uniform shirts to teams that were not able to pick them up. He would help supervise games, setup fields, line fields, pick up garbage, register participants and work in the concession stand.” The Lineup is still in business at a different location in Spanaway.
Lyn remodeled Woofers when she purchased the building and has an unusually long and spacious front counter. While she acknowledges this takes up display floor space (anathema to retail space design), it is this way on purpose to accommodate at least 5 people and numerous dogs behind it at any given time. You see this purpose in Lyn’s office, in the staff kitchen, and in the large grooming area… you are not crowded or hurried and there is space, comfort and convenience for the animals and those who care for them.
Woofers is clean, and welcoming and the products laid out with 4-footed customers in mind. A treat bar is at eye level for all the “woofers” to assess their options. Products include toys, skin and fur treatments, different kinds of food (including raw or natural options), cards, and candles. Lyn, Kailin, Kyle and Jenny all will spend time talking with you about your pet’s needs or appetites and recommend which product might work best. This is one of the benefits of shopping where someone knows and cares for your dog, and also understands product options.
Woofers kindly arranged the gift basket we used for our dog contest prize. We enjoyed meeting Lyn and some of her family and confess to leaving with a stuffed and squeaky red lobster for one of our dogs, and goat milk for another.
By the way, Woofers also sells cat food, supplies, and toys. Good to know in advance of National Cat Day coming up in October! Those of you with cats, watch our newsletter and Facebook posts for details about a cat contest in October.
We agree with Caroline Knapp, “Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like; afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way.” Thank you, Woofers, for the gift basket, sharing stories about your life and business with us, and for caring for some of our best friends!