When Sherrie Stoll moved her business into a building in Hubert, the front room seemed empty.

So Stoll and Pam Leverett, her close friend for more than 20 years and business partner for eight, put their heads together and came up with an idea for the extra space at Personal Touch Pet Grooming and Boarding.

“We had already talked about using it to help a nonprofit or local people,” Leverett said.

Leverett’s granddaughter has cerebral palsy, so Carobell, Inc., an organization in Hubert that provides residential and day services to profoundly disabled children and adults in Onslow and Carteret counties, hit close to home. From there “Pawtique” — where products made by disabled individuals from Carobell and others in the community are sold — was born.

Personal Touch partnered with Carobell in January and through Pawtique Carobell has already earned more than $1,000, Leverett said. From the profits, Carobell issues paychecks to the individuals who make the items and purchases supplies with whatever is left.

“Our goal is to make someone with a disability a part of the community,” said Carobell Program Director Mary Butts. “This helps them develop job skills, be productive, be part of the community and earn a living.”

The artists from Carobell make dog biscuits and pet beds with help from the organization’s staff.

Whenever a handmade item is sold from the Pawtique, the profits go to Carobell to distribute or to the person who made the item. None of the money goes to Personal Touch, Stoll said.

“We’re really lucky to be able to do this,” she said. “It’s our way to give back.”

The Pawtique concept fits in perfectly with Stoll’s philosophy on business.

When she bought the building, she hired people she had known for years to become part of the business “family.”

“It’s a family,” Stoll said. “I couldn’t do it without them, and I don’t think I’d ever run the business any other way.”

Stoll focuses mainly on grooming and running the business while Leverett works as the night manager and bather.

Jessica Lane is Stoll’s apprentice, and 5-year-old Katelyn, Lane’s daughter, is the “junior apprentice.”

Brianne Greene mans the front desk and promotes the business online.

At lunchtime, everyone sits down together and eats a home-cooked meal while discussing life in general and the animals they serve professionally and personally.

“We have a hard time deciding if we need more employees,” Leverett said. “We don’t know if they’ll fit in with the family.”

This unorthodox approach to business has proved effective, Stoll said. Most Personal Touch customers are regulars who bring their animals in weekly, and some even come bearing gifts of baked goods and free building repairs.

Rosa Sargent has been bringing her dog Rebecca to Personal Touch since last fall. The shampoo she had been using was turning Rebecca’s coat from white to yellow, and someone suggested she take her to Stoll. She has been a weekly customer since then.

“It’s like a home, and she takes care of the dogs just like they were hers,” Sargent said. “She has done fantastic things to this place — it smells like home.”

Personal Touch offers grooming services 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and boarding services 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and by appointment Sundays.

For more information contact Sherrie Stoll at 910-333-0381 or visit Personal Touch Grooming and Boarding at 390 Hubert Blvd.

July 12, 2010 4:21 PM