T-burg’s HoneyCuts celebrates one-year anniversary

In a time of global uncertainty, Heather Bowman, owner of the dog-grooming business HoneyCuts, decided to make a risky career change after spending 20 years in nursing.

“After decades of dealing with humans, I got tired of it,” she said. “I decided I enjoy dealing with animals much more.”

With HoneyCuts celebrating its one-year anniversary next month, it looks like Bowman’s gamble has paid off.

“One day when I got home after a long nursing shift, I realized I was mentally and physically exhausted by my nursing job,” Bowman said. “I realized that I was drained and didn’t have anything to give my daughter or my personal life anymore.”

Trying her hand at a collection of odd jobs, one day, Bowman saw an ad for a dog washer at a Trumansburg grooming salon and applied.

“I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it,” Bowman said. “I really took to it! The animals seem to enjoy me just as much as I enjoyed them.”

Impressed by Bowman’s skills, the owner of the salon told her she should get some clippers and give grooming a shot. The rest is history.

“I grew up in an agricultural community in Indiana,” Bowman explained. “I started utilizing my animal handling skills and combined them with my love of dogs. I realized I was pretty good at this.”

After signing in to Facebook one day, Bowman was shocked to learn that the job she had grown to dearly love had disappeared.

“I’d just signed in and saw a post on my news feed that stunned me,” Bowman said. “My friend, the owner of the salon, had decided to take a job full time outside of grooming. She would only be opening the shop intermittently, and only for her and her clients.”

Once the shocking and sad news had been confirmed, Bowman was unsure how to proceed with the new career she had fallen in love with.

“The timing was terrible considering the pandemic and the unstable and limited employment options,” Bowman said.

Bowman returned to her home on Wixom Farm in Alpine, New York, to share the news with her boyfriend and farm owner, Andy Clark.

“I was devastated and unsure what to do next and wanted to talk things through with Andy,” Bowman said.

In addition to her grooming job, Bowman also shares all of the responsibilities and work of running Wixom Farm, where she lives, with Clark.

“I put out a dozen applications and had heard nothing,” Bowman said. “This was during the time when the regulations on groomers kept changing, leaving everyone unsure about what hours they would even be allowed to open.”

It was then that Clark suggested that, for the time being, she set up a small grooming spot on the farm.

“The farm is also home to Mouse in the House boarding kennel,” explained Bowman. “A lot of Andy’s clients and my clients overlap as it is. It seemed like the only logical choice at the time.”

Wixom is a working farm that produces and sells ethically raised pork and beef as well as bacon, sausage, maple syrup, jams, jellies and garlic.

“I work right alongside Andy on the farm, and I know how much work there already is to do,” Bowman said. “We have a shop on the farm that we both work at that sells our products as well that’s open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.”

The convenience of having all of the businesses located on the sprawling 123-acre Alpine farm was helpful when juggling various tasks over long hours.

However, Bowman missed her Trumansburg clients and wanted a space there of her own.

“One night, Andy and I were laying in bed discussing what I should do about moving forward,” Bowman said. “He looked at me and told me that I should just take the plunge and open my own place.”

As fate would have it, right around that time, the property at 1889 Rt. 96 in Trumansburg became available.

“It was in February 2021,” Bowman said. “I took all of my life savings and every dime I could scrounge together and took the leap. I sunk every penny I had into equipment, supplies and renovation of the inside.”

While establishing her new business, Bowman had to balance her work on the farm with the needs of her clients.

“I work at the salon Monday through Friday by appointment,” Bowman explained. “My hours are longer in the winter because the farm, our Trumansburg Farmers Market booth and the farm shop are limited with the hours they need filled.”

Bowman is delighted with the outcome of her first year, noting that her clients have remained consistent and supportive through all of the changes.

“I have had a regular and loyal following since I first started grooming,” Bowman said. “I’m happy I can still provide services to all the people that supported me.”

Entering her second year, Bowman reflected on all of the unplanned circumstances that led to achieving her dream.

“This place is all mine, and I love it,” Bowman said. “I couldn’t have done it without the encouragement from Andy, though. He sat me down one night and told me all the strengths I had and how capable I was. It was his unwavering belief in me that made me have the courage to believe in myself.”

Information about HoneyCuts can be found on the shop’s Facebook page at facebook.com/HoneyCuts-112760050850059.

Trumansburg Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.