2 Family Businesses Opening in Penn Valley

Two members of an entrepreneurial Main Line family are launching businesses in September in the same Penn Valley building.

In the first week of September, Mindy Reese's pet grooming business Mindy's Pet-tique is set to open in the back of 733 Montgomery Ave., after being run out of Reese's Bala Cynwyd home.

Nearer the end of the month, The Sweet Trading Co., run by Reese's niece Jody Peskin, will begin selling a variety of chocolate products on the storefront side of the building.

Lloyd Peskin—Reese's father and Jody Peskin's grandfather—owns the building, and Jody's father, Neil, worked on renovating it.

"I come from a long line of entrepreneurs," said Peskin, who grew up in Villanova and lives now in Manayunk.

Peskin has been making chocolate for 10 years, mostly as a hobby until she was laid off in November from her job at a nonprofit. She decided to market her own holiday baskets of chocolate, something her mother had experience in.

"I always knew that at some time in the future, I would do this," Peskin said.

She used word of mouth and the Internet to spread word of "The Chocolate Concierge," but it mostly reached friends and family at first.

Then, "it just kind of took off," Peskin said. She got space in a licensed kitchen in January and started getting wholesale accounts before the Montgomery Avenue retail spot presented itself.

"It's like a dream opportunity, especially for my business, being so new," Peskin said.

She plans to bring in part-time help and operate on a weekday schedule of roughly 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., serving muffins in the mornings. The Sweet Trading Co. will be kosher, with two separate kitchens, and it will remain closed Friday night to Saturday night and on Jewish holidays, Peskin said.

Depending on the speed of renovations, the sweet shop could open in two to four weeks. In the back of the building, not connected to The Sweet Trading Co., Mindy's Pet-tique began taking appointments from existing customers this week. Next week, it will open to new customers, too.

Reese has been grooming for 15 years, for animal hospitals and at her home-based business, she said. As her clients grew from puppies and their needs changed, "I wanted to do more for older dogs," Reese said.

In her new space, there's more room for spa treatments, massages and other services offered with older pets (dogs and cats are both welcome) in mind. Retail space is increased, too. Reese subcontracts for another groomer, a veterinary technician and a receptionist/assistant.

Mindy's usually takes dropoffs between 7 and 10 a.m., begins grooming about 8:30 a.m. and has everyone done by 4:30 p.m., Reese said. She is considering adding evening self-wash services a few nights a week.

To contact either business, call these phone numbers:

• Mindy's Pet-tique LLC: 610-505-1076
• The Sweet Trading Co.: 267-935-9294