Find supplies for your four-legged family member at Salty Dogs in St. Clair

Salty Dogs Pet Supplies and Grooming LLC offers anything your furry friend could need.

Owner and veterinarian Dr. Robyn Limberg opened the business, located on 1214 S. Riverside Ave in St. Clair, in February. The business offers dog grooming services and pet products, such as food, toys and accessories.

“We like to offer a variety for our customers,” Limberg said.

Salty Dogs offers both locally made and brand name products. Limberg said she wants to feature local businesses and offer things that people can’t find online. She wants to encourage people to shop from small businesses.

Although Salty Dogs opened several months ago, Limberg said she hasn’t had the grand opening yet. She is planning to have an open house for the business during the first weekend of December so all of her employees can attend. In the next few weeks, Limberg’s daughter and some staff members are getting married. Additionally, her office manager is on maternity leave.

“We want to let her spend time with her babies and get through all the weddings,” Limberg said. “We also wanted a month to plan for the open house.”

The open house is tentatively planned to take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 3.

Limberg is deaf and wears hearing aids. She said being deaf makes some aspects of owning a business difficult. She said taking phone calls for things such as ordering inventory or maintenance can be hard. However, she has help from her managers.

“When you’re starting up and all the phone calls that need to be made, I can’t do them,” Limberg said. “You always need a backup.”

Additionally, she said texting helps with running the business because a lot of places now accept it as a form of communication.

Limberg said she is looking at potentially applying for business grants through the Small Business Association. She would use the grant money to increase advertising for the business. At the moment, Limberg is advertising through Facebook and the Riverview Vet Center, where she is the owner and veterinarian.

Limberg said the response to Salty Dogs has been good, but a little spotty. She has seen a couple of repeat customers since the opening, especially for grooming services. Additionally, customers have started requesting specialized orders for pet supplies, which Limberg said she is happy to complete.

“Once people find us, they keep coming back and are regulars,” she said.

Limberg said she hopes once she has the open house in December, more people will become aware of the business.

Salty Dogs Pet Supplies and Groomer LLC is opened from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays.

Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com or (810) 292-0122.