Back in the Valley’s early days, some businesses customarily brought their goods and services to their customers’ homes and businesses. In 1910 McAllen, for example, residents living on Main Street would hang a sheet on their porch if they wanted Dr. Frank Osborn to stop in for a house call.  Fifty years later, ice cream trucks, pizza delivery cars and door-to-door peddlers were the final vestiges of house calls.  Today, a resurgence of mobile businesses highlights the appeal of customer convenience.  While trendy mobile gyms and restaurant meal delivery may not have reached the Valley yet, many other mobile entrepreneurs have already tapped in their customers’ preference for at-home service.

Berenice and George Gordillo are dog lovers.  That and the couple’s years working in dog grooming and retail pet store management are the primary reasons they opened Kirey’s Mobile Grooming in 2012, naming the business after their schnauzer.  The Gordillos began with one large van outfitted for all aspects of dog grooming, and today have three mobile grooming vans covering Hidalgo County.

Dog owners first and foremost appreciate the convenience of the mobile pet grooming service, said Berenice.  “Our customers are people who work full schedules or have multiple pets and find it hard to transport them all.  Some have really big dogs, and other dog owners are older and have difficulty getting out.”  Additionally, dogs stay calmer, do not have remain in a strange kennel for hours, and there is less risk for exposure to sick animals when using a mobile service.

The vans, which have self-contained water, air conditioning and heater systems, and the equipment, such as clippers and brushes, are sanitized between clients.  “I feel this is much better for the dogs.  We are dedicated to doing one dog at a time,” she said.

In February, Kirey’s Pet Salon and Hotel opened on Frontage Road in Shary.  “We want to appeal to all budgets.  The salon provides grooming at a lower price,” George said. Besides boarding, the salon will offer pickup and delivery service.

GPS has helped Kirey’s vans locate customers’ neighborhoods in Edinburg, McAllen, Mission Palmview, Pharr, San Juan and Penitas, according to George, who intends to expand Kirey’s territory. “Most of our customers have spotted the van and called or heard about us from their friends.  Our busiest season is when Winter Texans come with their animals.”

The new reality

Although Letty Torres’s dream was to run a business from her home, she believed her Imagin Scrubs needed a storefront to build her credibility.  She was wrong.

Beginning in 2012, Torres would arrive at doctors’ offices and clinics by appointment, bringing in her racks of sample medical scrubs.  With the office manager’s approval, she set up in the company break room, placing a portable screen so healthcare workers  could  try on scrubs.

About 25% of the employers pay for all or three sets of scrubs, usually in matched or coordinating colors, for their staff, Torres said.   “Those offices call when they have a new employee.  It’s so convenient with established customers.” She carries credit card authorization forms for individuals paying out of pocket.

“I had a customer ask what makes me different from ordering online,” she said. “The answer is you can try on the scrubs and feel the fabric, see the workmanship.  You are not charged for shipping or delivery. I offer payment plans, a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee and can answer your questions.”

She delivers scrubs the day after a fitting, if the garments are in her inventory.

After 18 months tending her part-time storefront when she was not in doctors’ offices, Torres went fully mobile. “Probably a few would like me to have a store, but the traffic was minimal,” she said. She uses her truck to bring the styles and sizes she expects to need for appointments.  A customized van is a possibility down the road.

“So far this business plan allows me to do a lot more with my time.  I look for referrals to other offices. I’ve always been a go-getter,” said Torres.

Jym Almazan was selling purses out of his trunk when he spotted a Matco van, a tool store on wheels.  “I saw the setup and thought it would be a cool idea.”  Arm Candy Mobile Handbag Boutique now operates two Ford 450 busses from its Edinburg base.

“My clientele come on board and look at the designer purses and perfumes,” explained Almazan, who has been in the business for more than 10 years.  He and his son run regular routes, stopping at a total of 15-20 customer locations daily, usually workplaces.  “They like it because they don’t have to go to mall or look for parking.  They love the convenience. People call and ask if we can stop by during their lunch hour.”

“Michael Kors purses and wallets take the cake right now,” said Almazan.  He also carries  Burberry, Tory Burch and other popular labels, and offers payment plans for his clients.

Arm Candy’s owner said he supports the growing mobile industry, using a mobile carwash and eating at food trucks out of town.

Cleaning up

After scraping enough money together for a truck and mobile car washing equipment, David Iraheta and his wife Carla Alvarez  launched D’Luxe Hand Carwash in 2005.  Ten years later, Iraheta has a calendar filled with standing appointments for service in Mission, Edinburg and McAllen.

“People use us because they don’t have the time to go out to a car wash, and they don’t like waiting around.  We get to know our clients and know what they prefer and when.”

New clients are squeezed in around established appointments.  “People come up and tell me, ‘we’ve been watching you, and we like the way you work.’ They pay attention when they see my truck,” said Iraheta. “This is hard work, but it pays off.”

While the mobile carwash covers the exterior and vacuuming, two years ago  D’Luxe Hand Carwash opened a bricks-and-mortar location in Mercedes which also offers full detailing and carpet shampooing.

About 14 years ago, Cheap Auto Glass began offering mobile windshield repairs.  “For some customers it was a convenience, but for most people it was because their windshield was so badly damaged.  Most people find it convenient.”  The bigger glass insurance companies and distributors like Safelite, usually specify mobile service.

“I think working out of a van does not give the best result possible,” said Darren Tiffin, the owner of Cheap Auto Glass.  “You cannot do as good a job as in the shop where we have all the best tools, more powerful tools, and all the moldings.”  Winter Texans tend to have full auto insurance covering glass replacement, which many Valley drivers do not have.

Across the Valley, new businesses are making house calls: computer technicians, personal trainers, mobile x-ray and ultrasound companies, and makeup artists.  Convenience comes at a cost, but many customers have decided the savings in time and effort of using mobile businesses is well worth it.

For more information, see Kirey’s Mobile Grooming on Facebook or call 432-3985; D’Luxe Hand Carwash on Facebook or call 463-3860; Imagin Scrubs on Facebook or call 404-8401; Arm Candy Handbag Boutique on Facebook or call 763-9306; call Cheap Auto Glass at 320-0917.

 February 2015 cover story by Eileen Mattei