T-R PHOTO BY SARA JORDAN-HEINTZ Corine Neal is the sole proprietor of the Paw Spa, a pet grooming shop located at 18 N. Center St. in Marshalltown. Here she grooms Coal, a chow chow dog.

For Corine Neal, her days are spent in the company of furry friends — cats and dogs in need of bathing, grooming, and in some cases, a little relaxation time.

Neal is the sole proprietor of the Paw Spa, located at 18 N. Center St. in Marshalltown. The shop is the former location of Kanine Klips Grooming & Spa, an establishment in which Neal was once employed.

“The owner of Kanine Klips, Michelle McCord, wanted to work from home, and she built her own grooming space at her residence, so I decided to stay here and open my own place,” Neal said.

Since that transition, Neal has been spending time building a clientele of her own, establishing a name for herself in the pet grooming business.

“That was the biggest challenge, getting my name out there,” Neal said.

The Paw Spa offers the basic bathing, fur trimming and nail trimming services, but also some special spa treatments.

“I do a Dead Sea mud treatment the dogs really like. It’s rich in minerals and feels nice,” Neal said. “I also do hot oil treatments and nail grinding, which is like filing nails. I can also paint nails.”

Running a business by herself meant there wasn’t as much time available to make repairs on the building. Her church’s pastor, Dave Martin, recognized the need for some general repairs to be made, and he reached out to fellow congregants of Faith Assembly of God Church, namely, its men’s service group.

“I groom my pastor’s dogs, so he comes in quite frequently, and he observed what needed to be fixed, and he offered to help,” Neal said.

The group of church men, organized by Tom Baetsle, have spent the last several weeks renovating her shop.

“I gave them a key for them to get inside, so they could work on the place whenever they had time,” Neal said.

The men painted the shop, repaired holes in walls and replaced a back wall — free of charge. Neal said there are only a few other minor touches that still need to be made.

“I’m very, very grateful for them,” Neal said.

Neal has almost 17 years of experience in the pet grooming business. Her shop is open Monday through Friday, beginning at 8 a.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are preferred. The Paw Spa may be reached at 641-352-8391.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at 641-753-6611 or sjordan@timesrepublican.com