Help Crystal Stay In Business

Hi, my name is Megan Chronister. I'm trying to raise money for my sister Crystal Lacy, so she can keep her newly expanded dog grooming business afloat. I know Covid-19 has had a negative financial impact on many. However, if you know Crystal or I, are one of her past or current clients, would like to "pay it forward", or even just need to generate some good karma for yourself, PLEASE consider contributing!

Crystal has been grooming dogs for a decade now. It's her true passion, and she's damn good at it! The results are always impeccable because she is detail oriented and knowledgeable in all kinds of technical cuts, for all breeds of dogs. But I think what makes her stand apart, is that she has formerly studied animal behavior so she knows how to work with even the most difficult dogs that other groomers turn away. She cares about the dog's comfort and is great at putting the most anxious dogs at ease. I like to call her The Dog Whisperer! ‍♀️

Three years ago Crystal decided to start her own business by remodeling part of her home into a grooming salon, and Classy Canines was born. Although the location wasn't ideal, and running a business out of her home was challenging, she managed to be successful. Her reviews speak for themselves. The Classy Canines Facebook page has all five-star reviews. This is due to her ability exceed client expectations, work with almost any dog, and her fair prices.

Last summer Crystal stumbled on an opportunity to expand her business. She found a place for lease downtown in Shelby, Ohio that was a great location, and much bigger. It was marketed as a turn-key opportunity, since the building was previously occupied by a grooming salon. So Crystal decided to put all her faith (and savings) into turning Classy Canines into a bigger and even better operation, and signed the lease.

I won't go into all the things that have went wrong since taking on the new place in September 2020, but trust me the list goes on and on...and on. The plan was for Crystal to take a month off to prepare the new shop and get moved in. She excitedly ordered new equipment and began deep cleaning/renovating her new place. First she had to wait on new flooring to be installed, which was delayed. Then there was a problem with the flooring people covering the electrical outlets. While remedying that, it was discovered that the electrical was far from being "up to code" and needed major work. Next, she found out the building had no hot water pipes, so those had to be ordered and installed. At this point December was nearing, and Crystal was anxious to get in because the holidays are her busiest time of the year for her. But upon inspections, it was discovered that the first electrician didn't properly handle the issues and it still wasn't up to code! Contractors are backed up due to the pandemic and there are supply shortages, so between finding another electrician and ordering the parts needed, December came and went without Crystal being able to work. The electric issues are finally supposedly sorted out now, but she is still waiting on another inspection. She's just hoping everything will pass code so she can finally get in there and begin grooming again.

At this point Crystal has blown through all of her savings just trying to open this new place open. She has also went without income since September because she's been in limbo between locations and frantically working to get the new opened. On top of that, her car completely broke down a couple days ago. It's just been a series of completely unfortunate events! She's out of money to keep the business going for another month since it hasnt generated any income, so she's worried that she might have to throw in the towel and give up before she even got a chance! She also has no idea how she will afford to fix her car on top of this.

Since I know Crystal will never ask for help, I'm doing it for her! She was reluctant, but I finally talked her into giving permission for me to do this. Any funds raised will go to rent, utilities, and other business expenses of Classy Canines ($1500/month). My goal is help her cover the next couple months so she can begin to generate income again. Any extra money will go toward repairing her vehicle for her to get to and from work. Like I said, I know times are hard. But even a $10 contribution could make a difference if we all pitch in!! If you aren't in the position to donate, PLEASE at least share this. You never know, one of your friends or family members may be able to help out.

I know this is long, but I want to add that my baby sis has been obsessed with animals for as far back as I can remember. Working with dogs is truly Crystal's life calling! I'm so proud of how far she's come as an entrepreneur! Her current situation breaks my heart...because her intentions were good. She has a viable business that she built for herself, and couldn't have predicted all that would go wrong (at no fault of her own, I might add!) It's just been a bunch of bad luck, all at once. So please, let's all show Crystal our support by helping her past this hurdle, so she can continue making dogs beautiful and customers happy! If you're looking for a good cause, this is it!!

Thank you and God bless,

Megan