A new dog grooming salon and spa has opened in what used to be a wine bar.
Lisa Collinge had always loved the building at 62 Albert Road in Colne and dreamed of having a business in the property.
Now, after having planning permission granted by Pendle Council, she is the proud owner of the impressive building, and has relocated her dog grooming business Pet Angels from Barrowford to the new Colne location.
She said: “Everyone has been so lovely; fellow businesses, residents and my loyal customers. I’ve had presents, cards and well wishes and people who don’t even have pets have popped their heads round the door to say they love what I’ve done with the exterior.”
Whilst Lisa has more than 20 years of dog grooming experience, her journey to her dream career actually began in Antigua when she was working for a huge insurance company in the West Indies.
As well as this, she also managed a bar and restaurant and ran a trekking business with nine horses, demonstrating her entrepreneurial spirit from a young age.
When she returned to the UK in 1998 she worked in retail management, being responsible for opening stores such as Zara in what was then the new Trafford Centre, before moving closer to home at Boundary Mill.
Lisa added: “It was a great job, but after running a business in Antigua, I missed that entrepreneurial spirit and had always wanted to establish a dog grooming business.
“Whilst working at Boundary Mill, I began training at Myerscough College and doing work experience in a groomers. I also had two young children, Alice (now 19) and Keira (now 18) and the long retail hours and work over Christmas just didn’t fit with where I was at that point in my life.”
After completing her training and work experience, Lisa took the plunge and opened Pet Angels in a small unit in Nelson.
After ten years in Nelson, Lisa moved to her former premises at Barrowford, which she shared with Barrowford Pet Store, making it her home for ten years.
However, when she saw 62 Albert Road was up for sale, she knew she had to act, even contacting the estate agents every month, despite the sign saying sold to someone else, to see if the sale was going through.
“It was fate. The sale didn’t go through, I agreed a price in December 2022 and had the keys by March 2023,” she said, “I gave myself two months to open the doors because of course, I had bills to pay and wanted to get going.”
Lisa’s late Labrador, Marley, adorns the front of the building, although she has a new Labrador puppy, Reggie, to also keep her busy.
Laneshawbridge graphic designer Cathy Hargreaves did the Pet Angels rebrand and logo. Earby’s EPES - led by John Cooper - project managed the renovations and continues to transform three large rooms upstairs, which will be available for businesses to rent from July.
Lee from Woodborn Crafts removed seven layers of paint and restored the joinery at the front, in a mammoth task that took seven weeks.
Lisa’s team is ever growing; there is Grace, who has 14 years of experience, while she has taken on two young apprentices - Honey and Sadie.
Lisa is keen to thank everyone who has supported her to this point, including Colne BID, who have helped her settle in.
She hopes to welcome new customers alongside her loyal ones, and is looking forward to seeing which businesses wish to move into the rooms upstairs when the leases become available this summer.
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