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Photo by Kathleen Stoehr
Jodel Fesenmaier with her dogs Lulu (left) and Axel.
By Amanda Kushner
// North Loop entrepreneur unveils new self-serve dog wash //
Walk away with a clean dog, and leave all the mess behind.
That’s the idea behind Ollu Self-Serve Dog Wash, 221 Main Street SE, inspired by two of Ollu owner Jodel Fesenmaier’s dogs — Oliver and Lulu.
“I wouldn’t be running this store if they hadn’t been a part of my life,” she said. And that’s why when it came time to choose a name for the self-serve dog wash she named it after her two black labs.
Squeaky clean
Pet owners have a number of options at Ollu. When they walk in, no appointment necessary, they’ll see a television showing pictures of customer’s dogs and a retail store with lots of savory dog treats, grooming products and some leashes. Owners can then choose a basic self-serve wash, drop their dog off to be washed or have their dogs washed and groomed, she said. If customers choose the self-serve option they’ll receive towels, professional shampoos, an ear wash, toothbrush and a rubber brush. If the customer chooses the self-serve option they’ll approach one of five washing stations where the stainless steel commercial bathing sized tubs are waist high, so owners can stand while getting their dogs squeaky clean.
Customers can also choose upgrades including specialty shampoos and conditioners. After the wash customers will walk away from the mess and move to the drying room where warm air, which doesn’t have a heating element, is used to dry the dog’s coats.
Fesenmaier was eco-conscious while purchasing shampoos, which are biodegradable. Also she made an extra effort to be environmentally friendly while building Ollu. For example she used energy efficient building supplies, will have florescent bulbs and the water won’t run at the stations unless the pet owner is holding down a trigger.
In her retail store 90 percent of the items are either locally produced within the Midwest or the United States and use environmentally friendly materials.
Making her vision a reality
After Fesenmaier finished college she moved to San Diego, where she adopted littermates Oliver and Lulu two and half years ago. Then, eight weeks ago Fesenmaier added another member to her family when she adopted a Great Dane, Axel. Fesenmaier thought taking her dogs to the self-serve dog wash in San Diego was fun, and her presence calmed the dogs.
“They loved it because it was me washing them,” she said.
So when she moved back to Minneapolis, Fesenmaier was disappointed to learn that there weren’t any self-serve dog washes in the area, and she decided she eventually wanted to start one.
So Fesenmaier had the idea in mind, and she worked on it as a hobby, but it wasn’t until she was laid off from her job at a developer that she decided to push forward with Ollu.
She then apprenticed with a grooming salon to learn about grooming shops and safety issues.
Julie Hiller, owner of Shampooch, a grooming salon in Hopkins said Fesenmaier did groom dogs that didn’t need hair trims and took appointments during her apprenticeship. Hiller said she thinks what Fesenmaier learned in the industry, including what is needed of different coat types, will be valuable and will allow Fesenmaier to offer customers advice.
Hiller expects Ollu to do well, and said it’s a great idea.
“People are always looking to do something like that and their just isn’t a place to do that,” Hiller said. “You can go to a Petco and do it, but it’s just not the same.”
Fesenmaier has a calm demeanor with animals, and she’s both professional and personal, Hiller said.
She researched online, and also consulted with the self-serve dog washes she used to use in San Diego.
Fesenmaier lives in the North Loop and searched that neighborhood for a location for Ollu. But Fesenmaier walked her own pooches in the St. Anthony Main area and realized that it’s where a lot of people walk their pups too.
Fesenmaier’s mother, who adopted Oliver, will be working at her side as an assistant. She also hired another assistant and a full-service groomer, Heidi Baroun.
Baroun has been a groomer for 11 years, and she is excited for the social atmosphere at Ollu, where she thinks she’ll be able to connect with her clients and their dogs more than at a standard groomer. She hopes the open relationship will give customers the opportunity to ask her questions and become more comfortable leaving their dogs when they come back for a grooming.
“What I like about Jodel’s shop is that the full-service grooming is staying small, so I feel like the focus on grooming is really going to be on the dogs and the clients,” Baroun said.
Ollu is $20 per wash while dogs less than 10 pounds cost $5 less and dogs above 90 pounds cost $5 more. Starting the weekend of Oct. 24 Ollu will be open 10 a.m–7 p.m. Monday–Friday.
Ollu’s grand opening weekend will be Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 and will include a Halloween costume contest, free treats and $5 off a self-serve wash.
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Carmichael Lynch drops Harley account
UPDATED August 30, 2010, 2:29pm
By Gregory J. Scott
When it comes to selling muscle bikes, three decades is enough. Downtown advertising agency Carmichael Lynch announced August 23 that it was resigning from its Harley-Davidson account, ending a relationship of 31 years with the iconic motorcycle brand. In a prepared statement, Doug Spong, president of Carmichael Lynch, said, "Our agency leadership came to the consensus that we've taken the Harley-Davidson brand as far as we can. It's in our best interest to part ways." Mark-Hans Richer, Harley’s CMO, said, "Our strategies have been moving away from a singular consumer target and a one-size-fits-all agency solution. Rather than accept this new reality, Carmichael Lynch chose a different path and we respect that." The
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Community notebook :: Florence Court apartments
By Gregory J. Scott
1 Comment
At Florence Court, new apartments up, courtyard staysThe mid-August groundbreaking came and went quietly for the FloCo Fusion Apartments, a chic rebranding of a ramshackle cluster of student housing near the University of Minnesota’s East Bank campus. Despite years of resistance from current residents, the new building is officially going up, fanfare or no. Florence Court, as the community used to be called, is one of the oldest apartment buildings in the Midwest, dating back to 1886. The L-shaped structure sits at the intersection of 10th Avenue SE and University Avenue, but is tucked back from the street, hidden until recently behind a BP gas station. The 33-unit complex surrounds a leafy courtyard, which its residents — a colorful
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Watching out for the homeless
By Sarah McKenzie
// Volunteer outreach worker Jerry Fleischaker honored with prestigious McKnight award //After Jerry Fleischaker’s wife died of Alzheimer’s disease, he came across a newspaper article about St. Stephen’s Human Services’ work reaching out to homeless people with mental health issues. The story inspired him to start volunteering for St. Stephen’s. Now the 79-year-old retired pharmaceutical sales representative volunteers full time for the Downtown-based organization. “My wife died of Alzheimer’s in 2002. I saw the care she needed,” Fleischaker told Monica Nilsson, director of street outreach and community education for St. Stephen’s. “I was haunted by the thought that people might be
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Downtown visioning session looks to 2025
By jake weyer
// Whether to add a park north of Central Library will be part of the discussion, meant to produce a 15-year plan for Downtown //It’s been nearly 15 years since Downtown business leaders got together with city staff and elected officials to hash out a long-term plan for the area. Back in 1996, those stakeholders came up with Downtown 2010, a vision that included such grandiose plans as a new ballpark for the Minnesota Twins, a light rail line along Hiawatha Avenue, a new Central Library, completion of the Target Center and the development of the Downtown Improvement District — all realities today. “We’re standing now, planless,” said Sam Grabarski, president of the Downtown Council. “And a lot of good
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A mountain out of a bronze molehill?
By Gregory J. Scott
// The Sid Hartman statue stirs debate about public memorials Downtown //
OK, no one disputes that the guy deserves a statue. Sid Hartman, the nonagenarian sportswriter who has spent the last 65 years reporting for the Star Tribune and WCCO, is probably getting bronzed. The Department of Public Works is ironing out technical details for installing a metallic Sid replica, complete with TV reporter microphone and newspaper tucked under the arm, right outside of Target Center and a block from the Twins stadium, at the corner of 6th Street and 1st Avenue. The Public Works assessment is the final stage in a roughly six-week approval process to get the statue out into the public. No one’s upset about that. As Nick Legeros, the artist who designed
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Biz buzz :: Construction costing Elliot Park businesses
By Gregory J. Scott
1 Comment
For Elliot Park businesses, street improvements come with a price
True to its motto, Band Box Diner can turn “grease into a feast.” But the Elliot Park gem can’t make much out of the road construction that’s transformed its streetscape into a scarred industrial zone.
The throw-back diner is one of the businesses standing to benefit from a sweeping, 15-block reconstruction of Chicago Avenue South — if only it can survive through to the project’s completion.
“It’s kind of like, if you have a half hour for lunch, and then you get lost for 45 minutes, what are you gonna do?” says Brad Ptacek, who has operated the diner for the last 13 years.
Ptacek’s breakfast
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