HARLEM — The pups will appreciate the extra space.
The owner of Harlem Doggie Day Spa in Hamilton Heights won a $100,000 grant from Chase Bank that will allow the small business to expand.
Brian Taylor and about 20 other small business owners beat out 10,000 applicants nationwide to win the grant.
The spa, located at 734 Saint Nicholas Ave., started as a grooming business in 2010 and grew into a one-stop-shop for local dog owners.
Along with grooming, the spa now offers boarding and pet food.
“It’s a little Petco, a little PetSmart,” Taylor said. “It’s grown to a point where I had to hire more staff.”
As the business grew, the small shop became cramped, he noted.
The grant money will help him open a grooming school and spa down the street at 761 Saint Nicholas Ave.
He plans to hire more staff, some of whom are a part of a city Department of Education vocational program, to be able to handle a larger clientele.
“It helped with the long-term vision,” he said of the grant.