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Demopolis has a brand new business dedicated to keeping man’s best friends looking their best. Mercy’s Grooming Boutique held its grand opening Jan. 22 and has had several customers already. The boutique is located at 1032 Hwy. 80 E.

Owner Mercedes Reid has a love for dogs that inspired her to open a business where she could care for them and make sure they always feel and look their best. Reid owns five dogs and she began with grooming them before moving on to grooming other people’s dogs.

Reid said she saw a need for a groomer in Demopolis and jumped at the chance to fill that need.

“I have five dogs that I’m breeding,” said Reid. “It’s expensive to take them to say Tuscaloosa or Meridian because those are the only places that have dog groomers. So, I started watching YouTube tutorials and taught myself how to do it.”

Reid moved to Alabama from New York in 2020. She needed a way to make money so she began grooming people’s dogs in her backyard. Eventually her services became popular and at times she was booked up a week in advance. Reid realized that she didn’t have enough space to work efficiently in response to the increased demand for her services so she found her space on the highway.

More goes into dog grooming than most people realize. There’s a bit more to it than putting a dog in a tub and bathing them according to Reid. Reid said that when a dog is brought to her, she looks at their condition first to see what kind of grooming they may need.

“First I look at them and determine the condition of the dog,” Reid said. “If the dog has mats, then you can’t give them a bath because that will just make it harder to get it out. Then I decide what kind of cut would look really nice for this breed. Then from there I shave them down, and give them a bath last because some dogs don’t like water and as soon as you put them in water, they’re over it.”

Reid said she likes one-on-one time with the dogs. She doesn’t like to have multiple dogs at the same time because she never knows how different dogs will react to each other. But she said the key to being a good groomer is patience.

“Being patient is the key,” said Reid. “Because if you’re not patient, the dogs can sense your energy. And if you’re over it, then they are over it.” 

Reid said she gets to see a lot of different dog breeds in her line of work. The most common dogs she has groomed so far have been Shih Tzus and Labradoodles.

Reid said to be successful, a groomer has to love dogs and care for the ones that are brought into them.

“You cannot handle dogs every single day without loving them,” said Reid.

Reid hopes she can help the community by offering a much needed service close to home.

“Everything is so far from here,” Reid said. “It’s not convenient to drive out and spend like fifty dollars on gas. So my hope is that I can minimize that in the community with the dogs having regular grooming schedules. I work with people to fit grooming into their schedule. If I’m closed on Sundays, but someone only has a day off on Sunday, I’ll open up and groom their dog. I like to work with people.”

Mercy’s Grooming Boutique is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The boutique is closed on Sundays. Reid can be reached at 347-228-1151.