Since opening in 2020, Waterdown’s groomer Underdog and Co. has almost always had a perpetual waitlist. Now, it's ready for an upgrade to bring on more groomers and boost its bandwidth.

Clients regularly travel from Toronto, Hamilton and Burlington to visit the Waterdown location and a lot of that has to do with Bailey Forgeron (they/them) and their dog-centric approach, prioritizing each pet’s individual well-being with gentle, one-to-one grooming.

“The dog’s experience matters. The way that we go about this matters to them. They’re not all created equal,” says Forgeron. “I (get to) know how long that dog needs in order to be groomed properly, safely, and in a way that puts the dog’s experience as the number one priority.”

As a Queer-owned business with many queer staff, Forgeron, who has 15 years of experience as a groomer, is adamant about creating a safe space—not just for pets but for people, too. But it isn’t just Forgeron’s deep commitment to their values that’s contributed to the stacked waitlist. Waterdown was shy on groomers when Forgeron decided to open a place of their own.

“I was working at a shop in Burlington, and we had a lot of clients that were coming in from Waterdown specifically,” says Forgeron. That demand was apparent from the moment Underdog and Co. opened.

“When I was painting the front door, I must have handed out 50 cards, and those clients are still coming here,” they say. “Word travels fast… I love it here—the business is in such an incredible spot.”

Located in a heritage building on Main Street South, Underdog and Co. has recently felt constrained by its waitlist and the building’s aging infrastructure. The building’s electrical system limits how many dryers can be run at a time. “We’re losing availability in a day because I have to look at who's going to be blow drying for how long and try to stagger things in a way that's not going to prevent somebody from being done in the time that they need to be done,” says Forgeron.

But that’s recently changed with support from My Main Street. This program aims to strengthen businesses, boost productivity and revitalize main streets. My Main Street is delivered by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), and supported by a Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

The support has allowed Underdog and Co. to make leasehold improvements, upgrading elements of the building to make it safer and investing in equipment to increase the number of appointments it can handle at once while still preserving that one-to-one approach.

“We can streamline things… I’m getting a new hydraulic table and that will allow us to increase our offerings,” says Forgeron.

Forgeron says the My Main Street support allows them to continue to build the business around their values and connect with the Waterdown community.

“It is incredibly important to me to provide a space that is supportive, safe and understanding, a place where people, including staff and the community, have value,” they say. “Right now we are ensuring fair treatment and support for the people that work here – this new (equipment) and safer flooring is going to make a huge difference in their lives.”