By Carrie Moritz,

Garretson Gazette

            Young entrepreneur Grace Feauto has found her niche, and the dog owners of Garretson have been behind her one hundred percent.

            "The response after I launched the Facebook Page was amazing," she said.

            Until May, local dog owners had to travel to a surrounding town such as Dell Rapids, Brandon, or Luverne to get their dog groomed, which could be a hassle. On May 7, that changed as Feauto (pronounced "fau-toe") opened Grace's Grooming, a grooming salon for the canines in the area.

            The salon was first broached as an idea in late 2023 by Feauto's father, Bob, to the community via Garretson Living on Facebook, and the response was immediately positive. Over 60 commenters responded "Yes!" to Bob's question whether a local groomer would be a welcome addition to Garretson, and folks continued to inquire for several months after on when the business would open. Needless to say, residents were excited for the prospect.

            It took a bit, as the Feautos renovated a portion of their garage to fashion the salon. Feauto said she learned a lot from her father during that project. While they subcontracted a few parts of the construction, such as drywall and electric, Feauto and her father undertook much of the work on their own.

            Feauto, 20, knew she wanted to have her own business from an early age, and she has loved dogs her whole life. She has a quiet and calm demeanor, and describes herself as a creative person who loves reading, cooking, and hanging out with friends. She currently has one dog and one cat, whom she adores.

            She decided to enter dog grooming during her final year of high school, and for a bit, it may have felt like a fever dream as she encountered obstacles to her training. Her initial apprenticeship fell through, and the program she was enrolled in at Iowa Lakes Community College discontinued it only weeks before she started. However, a bit of persistence paid off when she cold-called K9 Designs in Spencer, Iowa.

            Beth Johnson, owner of K9 Designs, was more than happy to take on not only Feauto, but another aspiring groomer as well, Jenna Mantel of Doon, Iowa, last summer. Mantel launched her business mid-April, and was a great person to have as a classmate, according to Feauto. They were able to bounce ideas off each other, or ask questions or bring up experiences the other didn't think of.

            Johnson's employee, Hope, had gone through the Iowa Lakes curriculum in 2021, and between the two of them, they designed an 8-week training program that included not only proper breed cutting styles and bathing options but areas of study such as the life cycles of fleas, biohazards, shop cleaning methods, and more.

            "They were able to come up with not only a hands-on curriculum, but also a paper curriculum for me," Feauto said. She pointed out that Johnson's prior experience of working at a veterinary clinic helped increase Johnson's standards for cleanliness, which is important to ensure nothing is shared between canine clients, and she passed that on to Feauto.

            K9 Designs also helped to teach different cut styles, such as how to shape the fur for different breeds. While Feauto said she is still gaining some experience in that area, Johnson said she does a fabulous job.

            Garretson residents must agree, as Feauto is booked out until the end of the month, and she has been quite happy with how well the business is doing so far.

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