Freddie Harris recently opened a franchise location of Scenthound, a chain of dog groomers, in Innsbrook. He plans to open two more locations in the region. (Jack Jacobs photo)
After a couple years working on the corporate side of dog grooming franchise company Scenthound, Richmond-area resident Freddie Harris has jumped into the role of franchisee.
Harris recently opened his own Scenthound location at 10921 W. Broad St. in the Colonnades West shopping center near Innsbrook.
The new 1,200-square-foot dog washing and grooming business in Henrico is planned to be the first of three locations to open around town in the coming months.
Scenthound’s space at Colonnades West was formerly occupied by a tutoring business. The dog groomer is in the B suite of the same retail strip as Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Akoya Japanese Kitchen.
Harris said his own dog, an 8-year-old German shepherd named Karma, inspired him to take on a remote corporate role with Florida-based Scenthound a couple years ago.
“At first, I was like, ‘That’s nice to have,’ Harris said of the Scenthound concept. “But then I started thinking about my dog and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I love my dog so much, if providing routine care can help her possibly live longer then I’m all in.’”
Harris already wanted to be a business owner and realized that a franchise with his then-employer would allow him to do that.
“I wanted to be more involved locally and be able to really engage in that piece of things,” he said. “I thought there was a huge need in Richmond and no one is providing a service like this yet.”
So earlier this year, Harris left his job with the company to buy the franchise. Originally he planned to keep his job at Scenthound and hire someone to handle the bulk of the daily operations at the franchise. But while looking for a day-to-day manager for his budding operation, he realized he wanted the gig instead.
“I’m listing out all these things for a job description that I’m interested in applying to,” he recalled. Harris left the corporate job in March and opened the Henrico location this month.
He’s now the managing partner of the franchise, which he co-owns with friends and family. The group will be growing its footprint with two more locations in the coming months.
Harris said early discussions are underway to lease a property near the Museum District in Richmond. That location could potentially open in late 2024 or early 2025.
A Midlothian outpost is also planned, with a tentative opening date of later in 2025.
Harris said it has cost $500,000 to $600,000 to get the Richmond franchise going, a figure that includes costs associated with opening the first location and franchise fees to tee up the other locations.
Scenthound requires its franchisees to have $150,000 in liquid capital and a minimum net worth of $500,000, according to its website. The company takes a 6% royalty of gross revenue.
The company’s locations offer baths, nail clipping, teeth brushing, wellness checks and other services for dogs. The company steers customers toward becoming members who make monthly visits but also accepts one-off appointments.
“The reason we encourage people to bring in dogs every month and have the membership is that it is better for the dog to have that routine hygiene care and schedule. The dog gets used to us and the process,” Harris said.
Scenthound offers a three-tier membership program, which at the local location ranges from $35 for the basic package that allows one bath and other cleaning services per month, up to a $65 package that includes unlimited baths among other services, such as access to an online veterinary consultation service.
Scenthound was founded in 2015 and has more than 100 locations listed as open or coming soon on its website. The company has two locations in Northern Virginia.