After years of pet grooming between them, Erin Anthony and Elle Méconse joined forces in founding and opening the Groom Room in April 2026.
Anthony, who has spent her whole life in Branford explained her career in dog grooming.
“I started grooming when I was just out of high school. I started getting into the pet industry…I went to a private college when I was younger. Over the last 18 years or so I’ve been grooming. I worked for PetSmart for a very long time. I have also worked at for vet clinics, and I have gone through many salons. Finally, I was finally ready to take this leap with Elle. We had a lot of conversations, and we finally just decided to make a business plan and officially opened. We found a perfect location that was local. I love dogs. This is my passion [and] I cannot see me doing anything else in life,” Anthony noted.
Elle Meconse, who moved to Brantford seven years ago, had a different path, which ultimately led to becoming a pet groomer.
“I used to live in Caledon…and then I went to college for animal care. That’s when I realized that I really wanted to work with the animal…and since then, I’ve worked with exotics, other wildlife and rescues,” Meconse said. “About six years ago, I fell into grooming. I originally thought that it was going to be a side thing for me, which ended turning into a career. And earlier this year, I finally sat down with Erin I decided to start our own business. And we went from there.”
However, while there were some challenges, opening the Groom Room reflected each other’s desire to start their own business.
“I worked for a big corporation and there were many changes whenever new leadership came in…and I also felt, that as much as I put my heart into it, it was never mine. So that’s why we started this business. This wasn’t a cheap investment, but it’s also something that I wanted to do, and I wanted to do it right for us to both be happy and successful. I’ve worked in a corporation for a while now…so, I really started to see that a business that was a bit more private and personal [which] was what people were preferring,” Anthony explained. “Trying to get noticed in this area of town and trying to turn the downtown around as a more welcoming place is a goal for us too. It was a lot of hard work and a lot of long hours getting it things ready. When it comes to business…we’re off to a good start… with clients already rebooking with us.”
Despite the challenges in opening a new business, the reaction has been largely positive.
“It’s been so heartwarming… and the response has been overwhelming. I had some pet parents put me in tears because of just how sweet they were to me as I was embarking on this new chapter of my life. Many of my customers have been so supportive…they have been vocal on how happy they are for me and Erin in starting our own business and trying to build something that values personal service and giving the best for each and every dog that we work with,” Méconse said.
Nevertheless, both Anthony and Meconse are trying to build a luxury service which looks to attract disconcerting dog owners in the community.
“We are setting a standard in creating a luxury one-on-one grooming service in Brantford. We don’t want a rushed service or doing multiple dogs at once. It’s more focused on making your dog the most comfortable it can be…so that means, trying to do as much cage-free experiences as we can, depending on the dog and scenario…but we are committed to trying to make it very accommodating for everyone and very welcoming,” Anthony explained. “Feedback has been positive…we have a lot of people recommend us already…and they keep on sharing us on Instagram and Facebook. And looking at what we have been creating now, I think back that it was something we should have done sooner. But I am very happy how things have been coming along. I get to go to work every day for myself, and it still blows my mind every day that I’m going into my own salon. It’s an awesome feeling that I finally made it.”
Along with grooming, the Groom Room also offers many premium services.
“We also do bath, blow dry hair, cutting to the clients liking. But we’re also mostly kennel free, and we also kind of work one on one with dogs, which I really love, because it allows for a nice, peaceful environment. It allows for just really us to have the time to really spend with the dog. Instead of being more of like a factory where we’re kind of throwing dogs out the door, we really like to be able to spend whatever time we need to make sure that the pups are comfortable and are happy. We want to create a positive experience for the dogs…where they are excited to see us when they come in,” Méconse said. “And it makes us very happy to see them at ease with us, because Erin and I love dogs and want them to have a stress-free time. And we just love to be with them….and we definitely want to also build good relationships with our pet parents too.”
However, for Anthony one of the most important aspects of building a successful business is forming a trust with both owners and their dogs.
“This job is not easy. It is hard on your body. I’ve had a few different types of injuries. I actually had a dog bite my face at PetSmart a few years back, and I still showed up to work on Monday to keep doing what I do, because I typically find it’s not the dog’s fault. It’s dog behavior….where it’s a rescue and you don’t know the history, or they just haven’t been socialized. Educating pet parents how often the dog should come in, what kind of lifestyle they live at home for what kind of haircut you want,” Anthony noted. “It’s so much more than just bringing the dog here. It’s trying to be more personable and having those conversations a lot of times. I have found that groomers play an important part in helping the dog in other matters. We are the ones that find the lump first, or a cracked tooth or a sore ear. And the owners are so thankful for what we do.”
The pair have also been immersed in all things business, gaining tremendous knowledge in many aspects in operations.
“We have learned so many things along the way…which has included taxes. That was fun, but we definitely learned that there’s so much involved. It’s not just grooming, running the shop work….advertising and stuff like that too. It’s, again, it’s not that we didn’t know about it, but now it’s just so much bigger, because we’re doing this for ourselves, so we really want to do more. And I’ve honestly learned how I’m learning how to run a business, which I’ve never had to do before. So this has been a very interesting experience. I love change and learning new things. So this has been really fun for me. I definitely get a lot of stuff thrown at me, and I do have a lot of business owner friends that I’ve been leaning on a little bit too,” Méconse noted.
There are also other opportunities the duo has found into order to build the brand while supporting key initiatives.
“My goal is to just keep doing what I do best and not is grooming dogs and educating, expanding, and developing in this like my goal is probably to get a bigger salon sooner than later, just because of a clientele that we already expect to have. I’m hoping to develop again on many ideas….like doing a merch line…and having some of the proceeds to donate to local rescues,” Anthony noted. “Another goal is to do some staff hiring with apprenticeship, down the road. I also want to develop into a bigger salon…while maintaining a high comfort and safety level for our dogs.”
