Main Street rebounding, says dog salon owner

By Dan KingDog Salon

Malin Shepherd’s new dog salon on Main Street is a sign, she says, that the street is turning things around.

“You hear people talk about what Whitehall used to be and it’s nice to see it starting to come back around again,” she said.

Shepherd’s salon, called Clean Paw Dog Grooming Salon, is located at the former Whitehall Times office building and offers a full range of services.

“We do baths, nail trimmings, haircuts, brush teeth, we do a little bit of everything,” Shepherd said. “We’re a full service salon, we do the basics for people who just want the basics and we are full service for people who want to pamper their dogs.”

Shepherd said her motive for opening the business was to get more involved in the Whitehall community.

“My husband Paul is the pastor at Grace Baptist Church and he is very involved in Whitehall,” she said. “We wanted to continue to get involved in Whitehall.”

She said that she had originally worked with animals in college and decided to take on the more specific aspects of dog grooming.

“I had worked for a vet for several years when I was in college and I really enjoyed it,” Shepherd said. “A friend of mine approached me and asked if I’d like to learn the finer aspects of it and I decided to learn.”

Shepherd said that Saturday’s Whitehall Mini Mall was a great jumping-off point for her business and that her booth at the event was busy.

For now, the store will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Shepherd said appointments can be made outside of regular business hours.

“Our hours are pretty flexible if someone calls for an appointment,” she said.

She said she hopes the business will expand and that she will be able to add some employees.

“We’re here to stay and we want to see the community grow again,” she said. “It’s great getting to know people in the community and their pets.”