Founder Valeriia Istratova took inspiration from Vincent Van Der Fluff, her three-year-old Pomeranian, when launching in Wood Wharf
Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here
ADVERTISING FEATURE
“I‘m originally from Ukraine and I first came to London 14 years ago to study A-Levels,” said Valeriia Istratova.
“My first degree is in fashion management and I have masters degrees in marketing and psychology.
“Somehow I’ve ended up opening a pet grooming salon.”
Having spent time working in marketing and operations across a range of sectors including wealth management, IT and at paper product giant Kimberly-Clark, Valeriia had long had a desire to start her own business.
“I just hadn’t found an idea,” said the Canary Wharf resident.
“It was during a holiday over New Year that I was thinking about what to do – perhaps a beauty salon or an Italian coffee shop – but I wasn’t sure because of the competition in the market.
“That’s when I realised I needed to open a grooming salon.”
a fresh direction
In the end, Vincent Van Der Fluff – Valeriia’s three-year-old Pomeranian – turned out to be the inspiration for her venture.
“When I first arrived in London, my college was in Greenwich so I got to know this area,” said Valeriia.
“Then my university was in central London so I wanted to move there but a friend was living near Canary Wharf and invited me to come and look round.
“I fell in love with it. England has beautiful little houses but personally I like skyscrapers with nice views, modern facilities and the infrastructure.
“My husband and I were some of the first residents in Wood Wharf and, because the building is pet friendly, it was finally the moment to get a dog.
“There are lots of people living here around my age who perhaps don’t have kids yet or who have decided not to, but they do have dogs.
“With Vinnie, I couldn’t find the right level of grooming service locally so I was taking him to South Kensington – driving him across central London for two hours, waiting for three and then travelling back.
“I needed to take the whole day off and he finds the car stressful, so in some ways it was crazy.”
creating Pawsome
However, it was those experiences that sparked the genesis of Pawsome Pet Grooming And Spa and Valeriia sprang into action.
First she put a business plan together after coming back from holiday and drew on her project management skills to work her way to opening.
“I knew there were lots of dogs living in Canary Wharf and around the local area and we worked out how many might come and what the demand might be,” she said.
“Then I started to look for a space, initially in South Quay, but there was nothing suitable.
“It was when I took Vinnie to the vet in Harbord Square that I noticed this building was now finished and that the commercial units on the ground floor were available.
“I contacted the agent and we prepared a presentation for Canary Wharf Group, which took place in April.
“A week later they approved my application and we started to set the business up.”
Pawsome is one of a group of independent businesses to open in Wood Wharf as part of a joint project between Canary Wharf Group and Tower Hamlets Council to provide affordable commercial space to local enterprises.
Ventures launched so far include Wayne Hairdresser Salon, florist The Flower Club, nail bar Awe London, Reformer Pilates at The Island Studio and Italian bakery Signorelli.
Malaysian restaurant Ong Lai Kopitiam and Japanese bakery Cafe Seek are set to join Pawsome and the rest soon.
offering quality at Pawsome Pet Grooming And Spa
Key for Valeriia in setting up the business was the quality of offering.
Pawsome aims to deliver a service for dogs analogous to a human visit to a luxury health spa.
“We’re offering a premium experience for pups,” she said. “The atmosphere is specifically curated for them including the music, the scents and the flavours.
“We will only ever have a maximum of three dogs in the salon at one time – this isn’t a factory approach.
“We have a special playpen for them to relax in between treatments with toys, food, water and beds for them to sleep in.”
Pawsome is also a boutique selling everything from specially curated canine fashions to wine, beer and perfume for pups.
There’s a welcoming area with velvety sofas for their humans to relax on too, although clients are asked to leave the salon during treatments so their four-legged charges remain focused on the experience.
the benefit of a Canary Wharf base
“There was nowhere for me to wait in South Kensington and I often ended up sitting in the car, but there’s so much in Canary Wharf,” said Valeriia.
“Here there are restaurants, cafés and also parks to take a walk in while their pup is with us.
“We offer three core packages that take between an hour and a half and three hours.
“Naturally Pawsome includes a bath and shampoo, nail trimming and a blow dry, Bubbles, Brushes And Bliss includes all of the above plus a full body haircut and styling according to the breed and Fur Season Spa adds on a full ‘pawdicure’ and a blueberry and banana facial.
“We also provide little goody bags for every client and a complimentary accessory depending on your pup’s character.”
Package prices start at £70 and bookings are now being taken online.
“It’s so exciting to have opened,” said Valeriia. “I always wanted something of my own and I love animals.
“I had a cat as a child in Ukraine and then a chihuahua.
“When I was a kid, I always said I’d open an animal shelter because stray animals are a big problem over there. I was always bringing puppies and kittens home to feed them.
“Getting Vinnie has changed my life and what I wanted to create was a service here in Canary Wharf that is as good as the one offered in central London salons.
“It’s important to me that both the owners and the pups feel a sense of calm and that they are getting a service they feel is on a par with human spas.”
As for quality control, we’re reliably informed that Vinne (officially Pawsome’s CFO or chief fluff officer) has personally tested and approved all the treatments on offer.
key details: Pawsome Pet Grooming And Spa
Pawsome Pet Grooming And Spa is located in East Lane on the west side of 8 Harbord Square in Canary Wharf’s Wood Wharf.
The business is open on weekdays from 10am-7pm, on Saturdays from 10am-6pm and on Sundays from noon-6pm.
A full list of services and prices is available on the company’s website here
Read more: Malaysian restaurant Ong Lai Kopitiam to open its doors at Harbord Square
Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here
Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here
