El Paso native Michelle Franco-Mar fell in love in the aughts and moved to the Rio Grande Valley in 2009.

“I married a Valley boy,” Franco-Mar said of her husband, Greg, who is from Brownsville. 

Once here, the former newspaper graphic artist sized up her job possibilities, and wondered, “What can I do here?” Her new husband, an accountant, advised Michelle to do something she liked and to think about starting a business. In Harlingen, where the couple settled, a look around town 15 years ago showed a void for dog grooming and boutique services. Other than PetSmart and another local business at the time, there was not much available in that business sector in Harlingen.

Michelle, with the support of her husband, moved judiciously and wisely to get such a business started. She traveled to Houston to receive some necessary training and to earn industry certifications. A location was secured on north 77 Sunshine Strip with Boggus Stadium in clear view across the busy Harlingen thoroughfare.

Pooches Corner opened in October 2009 “with zero customers,” Greg Mar said, and launched “from the ground up.” Michelle’s hunch about Harlingen’s need for dog grooming services proved to be on the mark.

“The calls started coming in right away to set appointments,” she said. “There was a big need.”

Rewarding Work

Franco-Mar has two basic questions for anyone wanting to work at Pooches Corner. 

“Do you love dogs?” “Have you ever had dogs?”

A business that started 15 years ago with Franco-Mar and a receptionist today has three groomers, with a fourth to be added soon with business continuing to grow. 

“This is a specialized skill,” Franco-Mar said while standing in the room where she and other groomers work. 

Grooming a dog properly can take up to three hours, she said. Pooches Corner has shampoos made for specific breeds of dog. Senior dogs receive special care in making sure they do not stand for long periods of time. Understanding the different personalities of the variety of dog breeds is another important consideration they keep in mind. Customer loyalty runs strong with Franco-Mar’s business as shown by the fact that Pooches Corner is booked for two months solid. 

“My pups don’t seem as stressed coming home,” said one online reviewer. “Pooches Corner is so patient with them.”

Another customer, Barbara Bolding, says she has been taking “my babies” to Pooches Corner for years.

“Each time we go, my dogs don’t hesitate and their tails are wagging,” Bolding said. “That says a lot about the staff and the care.”

The kind words are well-received by Franco-Mar.

“It’s rewarding to see that people value our business and what it does for them,” she said. “It’s not a glamorous job but it’s very rewarding.”

Emotional Connection

And it can be therapeutic. 

When Franco-Mar’s beloved dog, Toby, passed away in recent years, she had her business and all the dogs it cares for to get her through a rough emotional patch. 

“The best part of this job is I get to see dogs every single day,” said Franco-Mar, who keeps a photograph of Toby in her office. “This type of business helped me grieve his passing.”

The emotional connection to dogs has grown stronger over the years, Franco-Mar said, as more of their owners treat them like family members.

“It used to be dogs were kept mostly outside,” she said. “What I’ve seen is that younger generations are teaching their parents to treat dogs like family and not outside dogs.”

Outside of her business, Franco-Mar has become active in her community. She serves on a city board dealing with zoning adjustments and is a member of the small business advisory committee. Franco-Mar is also a board member for the Harlingen Chamber of Commerce. She is encouraged by the city’s residential and business growth in recent years and the support the city’s economic development corporation is now giving small businesses in Harlingen.

Celebrating 15 years in business this month, Franco-Mar and her Pooches Corner are part of Harlingen’s recent successes – plus taking care of so many “fur babies.”