Good Neighbor Podcast: Rochester
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of Rochester
Good Neighbor Podcast: Rochester
EP#142: Wag N Wash with Mike Swader
Mike Swader introduces Wag N Wash, a comprehensive pet care destination in Rochester Hills offering much more than just self-wash stations. This locally owned business provides full-service grooming, self-wash facilities, premium pet products including raw food options, and even sports team apparel for pets while maintaining strong community connections through regular adoption events and monthly charity initiatives.
• Full-service one-stop shop for dogs and cats, not just a self-wash station
• Services include full grooming, nail trims, bath and brush, and state-of-the-art K9000 self-wash tubs
• Carries both national brands and specialty pet products including raw food, toys, treats, and health/CBD items
• Locally owned and operated as part of the Pet Supplies Plus family with staff knowledgeable about pet care needs
• Strong focus on community involvement with monthly donations to different rescues and regular adoption events
• Has helped over 20 dogs find homes in just three months since opening in October 2024
• Located at the corner of Adams and Silverbell next to Kroger in Rochester Hills
Find Wag N Wash at https://www.wagnwash.com/store/mi/rochester/3012-rochester/3012 or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Yelp to learn about upcoming events and promotions.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lisa Swiftney.
Speaker 2:Hi everyone and welcome to episode number 142 of the Good Neighbor Podcast. Today we have as our guest we have Mike Schwader and he is with Wagon Wash in Rochester Hills. How are you doing today, mike?
Speaker 3:I'm doing. Great. Thanks for having us on today, Lisa. We appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Great Thanks for being a guest. Let's start off by telling our listeners about your business. What do you do?
Speaker 3:Thanks, lisa. Yeah, we appreciate it as a new business to the Rochester and surrounding communities Wagon Wash. We really try to bring a one-stop shop retail business to the dog and cat industry. So I think there's a lot of misconceptions currently with neighbors out in the community that were because we had that wash at the end of our name, that were just a self-wash. But in actuality we run the gambit of services. We have full-service grooming so that goes all the way down to nail trims. You can walk in for those. We also have the full-service or maybe a bath and brush in between a grooming. We also have the self-wash station. So we have state-of-the-art what they're called K9000 self-wash tubs and we've heard great reviews from all the neighbors that have been in. They use them so far and we're actually thinking of adding two more because we've been getting such rave reviews here this summer.
Speaker 3:so more to come on that amazing, yeah, and then, in addition to that, the the product that we carry. So we run everything from Purina, from Redford Naturals, so all the different brands that you're thinking about at your normal big box stores. We're carrying the national brands, but then we're also carrying some of the niche brands across both dog and cat, so that includes Raw and Natural. In the freezer section we have an entire freezer section.
Speaker 3:We have toys, treats, we have cat food, we have cat toys, we have all the health and wellness CBD products. So we really try to fit for that one-stop shop, like I said, in the community, and in addition to that, we recently got all of our college and pro team sports apparel in store for folks to you know, get their lions or their wings or their Pistons gear or their Michigan, michigan State. They can get that for their furry friends at home as well.
Speaker 2:Oh, that is amazing. That is so good, so I'm going to have to stop by and pick up something. So we are a house divided, so we'll have to see who gets to wear what.
Speaker 3:I think the you know, I think the couple other things I want to make sure we stress to the folks in the community is I've been, is I was born and raised in Metro Detroit. I've lived here my entire life. Our store GM, chris Foster, is also a key part of our business. He grew up in the UP. We actually, coincidentally, met in college and we've been friends ever since and business partners as well. We are locally owned and operated. All of our employees and staff are local to the surrounding community, love animals and we love to see our neighbors come in with their furry friends. And I want to also mention, because I think a lot of folks don't realize this, we are part of the Pet Supplies Plus family and our Wagon Wash brand. We actually are the first locally owned and operated business here in Michigan outside of our corporate store in Ann Arbor that's right down from the big house, but we've got 28 locations nationally currently.
Speaker 2:Wow, I didn't realize how big you guys were. So tell our listeners about your journey and you mentioned it a little bit in your last question but tell us how did you get into this business?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so you know I started my career in the data analytics market research world working for some large you know large Fortune 500 companies and have always had a passion for pets. So a huge driving force behind my family's love for animals was my mom. I actually lost her this past July. I appreciate that. But the reason I bring that up is she was a huge and integral part of why our family was so supportive in the animal community, leading even up to this before getting into the retail business. And you'll notice that in our donation bin in store she'll be a driving force in that effort out in the community forevermore. So she always had, every year, had local rescue she liked to donate to. We would donate our extra food, things like that. We will continue to do that as a store. Every month we will donate to a different rescue in our donation bin and you'll see that every month, along with the adoption events, events, we're working with leader dogs, we're lurking, working with grom forever tales.
Speaker 3:So a whole plethora of different community organizations and that's really what's a huge driving force for this. Yes, we want to have a successful business, but it's also to help the surrounding community and help those furry friends and their families who are in need, and and that's a huge pillar of our business and why, you know, this was probably the 25th business I had, you know, looked into and the other driving force was the Pet Supplies Plus leadership that really underscored the integrity and the values that we had and it matched and aligned and it was kind of a match made in heaven, if you will. So it was an easy decision once that kind of, you know, alignment came to fruition and we're just so excited to be part of the rochester community and part of this organization because they really back us, support the neighbors, support our pets and make sure we're doing the right thing, not what's best for the business in in all cases well, so true.
Speaker 2:So can you tell us of any myth or misconceptions that you hear about in your industry?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so you know a lot of folks think that, from a grooming perspective, one of the things in the pet industry is kind of an assumption like only long haired dogs need to be groomed, which in fact a lot of dogs and cats can benefit from grooming. Even short hair breeds need baths, nail trims, ear cleanings to stay healthy. So those are all things that we're working to help our neighbors achieve, and grooming can not just be about aesthetics. Of course we want our pups looking fresh and crisp and everything on a daily basis, but it's more than just aesthetics. Sometimes Grooming can help prevent skin issues, detect health problems early and keep pets comfortable, especially in the summertime. Hopefully we're coming out of those winter sessions and getting the pups outside and dirty and in the mud and come in and use those self-wash stations.
Speaker 3:And you know. You know nail trims, I think, are also an under utilized thing when we see dogs coming in with longer nails, so I know a lot of folks try and get them out. You know, on the cement to keep them down. The frequency of your nail trims is critically important to you know, ensuring that you're not getting overgrown and then having additional issues. You know moving forward, so I think that's the other thing. Self-wash stations I think that's another misconception, that they aren't worth it. You know, within our store, for $20, everything integrated shampoo, conditioner, water, your dryer, towels, your aprons, in between a groom. You're out at the park, you get a little money. You're out in the yard, you don't want to dirty your tub up. We're a great economical choice. Come in, we do all the cleanup, we do all the hair cleanup out of the tub, you don't have to worry about a thing and we're always disinfecting in between each dog so that we're not transferring anything back and forth. So again, it's a really nice convenience and we do all the heavy lifting.
Speaker 2:That is great, so take your dog out for a walk. Let them roll in the mud and stop by your place on the way home.
Speaker 3:Correct.
Speaker 2:Right. So, mike, tell me, when you're not working on your business, what do you like to do for fun?
Speaker 3:Well, as a busy father of a 14-year-old who plays travel sports, we stay pretty busy with school activities, travel sports. I would say one of my biggest hobbies, especially in the spring, summer and fall, is golf here. You know that's been a big thing in my life since I was in high school, started playing back then and you know, fun fact, I was fortunate enough myself and Chris, with some friends, got to see Tiger in the Masters in 2019.
Speaker 3:And I will hold that memory forevermore in my life. You know it was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had.
Speaker 2:Oh, that is amazing and he is fun to watch.
Speaker 3:He is.
Speaker 2:So what are the few things that you want our listeners to know about your business? How long have you guys been open?
Speaker 3:So we actually opened. We've only been open about three months now, so we opened October 18th of 2024. And I think the biggest thing for us is we want our neighbors to know that we're here to help you. You know our team members have a lot of knowledge and if we don't know something, we're going to go help and find out. So we have access to different professionals. Whether you're having a food allergy issue, you're looking for a specific type of brand or type of brand you know, recipe or, if you will, we can go look into that for you. So we're not just going to point you in the direction, we're actually gonna help you answer or find out, help you find the answer that you're looking for. So you know we want to support the other local vets, trainers, all the other ancillary businesses as well. So we're also going to have recommendations for you when you come into the store on some of those types of things.
Speaker 3:And we're really excited about Rochester Hills opening up some additional parks in the area and Nowicki Park should be going in, not too far from our store, and we're super excited about that because that will include a dog park and so that just means we get to see more of the neighbors, dogs in the area and coming by the store and it's just exciting for us. We all love animals. You'll hear that from myself all the way down to our retail staff. You know we've already become a first name basis with a lot of our, our furry friends. You know hey bandits in the store today. It's one of the corgis that comes in regularly to our store and it's just a fun day. You can't not smile when, when you get dogs coming in every day and their neighbors right that's right.
Speaker 2:That is right. You just see those little little dogs walking down the street, or even the big dogs walking down the street. You just can't help but smile. And it doesn't put a smile on everyone's face.
Speaker 3:Absolutely so help your listeners. Oh, go ahead. No, I was going to say that you know, the biggest, you know thing that we've talked about is ensuring that folks feel supported. So you're going to get that very neighborly welcome when you come in, and it really is about building those local relationships. So please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to help and we'd love to see it in the store.
Speaker 2:That is great. So our listeners are intrigued. They want to know where they can go and find you. So how can they find you? Where are you located?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely so. We're actually at the corner of Adams and Silverbell, right next to the Kroger, and you're kind of just touching the edge of Oakland Township there. You can find us on our website. We have all of our events online, along with our team members, some photos of the store. So go to wagonwashcom slash Rochester. You can find us there. You can also find us on Google, so there's a business page for reviews and and all those kinds of things. But then also, most importantly, follow us on our socials facebook, instagram, tiktok. You can even find us on yelp.
Speaker 3:We're always sharing content about upcoming events adoption events, pet parties. We actually just had one in store where we're giving away a bunch of free swag. We have free pup cups, free samples from some of our partner vendors that we were giving away, so these are all fun activities. One of the big ones that's upcoming, we're going to have Forever Tales Animal Rescue and for the third time since we opened with them alone, we've already helped adopt 20 plus dogs in the first few months we've been open. We can't wait to continue to help you know and see where we're at at the end of 2025. That's a huge goal across the whole Wagon Wash brand and Pet Supplies Plus, for that matter. But that's something we really take to heart and we know we're doing good things when we see those furry friends find their forever homes.
Speaker 2:That's amazing and yes, you guys are doing amazing work. That's amazing and yes, you guys are doing amazing work. So I want to say thank you for being a guest today on our podcast and letting our listeners learn more about you and what you do.
Speaker 1:We appreciate it very much, lisa, and we look forward to seeing you and our and our new neighbors in the store soon. Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, rochester. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPRochestercom. That's GNPRochestercom, or call 248-988-9640.