How Emily Preston found her creativity

Emily Preston

HALEY PAYNE ROBERTS
MCO Senior Staff Writer

Nestled in Pleasant Hill Hollow, just a few miles from Lynchburg’s heart, is Scruffy to Fluffy, a grooming salon owned by Emily Preston.

Preston has a history in dog grooming, starting her journey at PetSmart while in high school before attending grooming school in Chattanooga in 2016. “It all started because my manager at PetSmart encouraged me to go to doggy grooming school,” Preston said.

“I wanted to be a vet like all little kids do, but I didn’t want to go to school for the eight years. So this is what I went with, and it worked out!”

It didn’t take long for Preston’s career to grow. Starting at Northpoint Animal Hospital in Shelbyville, she grew quite the client base. She began to wonder if she could make it on her own. At the time, her late grandmother’s beauty salon was empty, and Preston and her family were unsure of what to do with the beloved shop.

“The building sat here, and we didn’t know what to do with it. We had thought about renting it out as a hair salon or turning it into a mini house. Then, one day after my daughter was born, I said, ‘Let’s try it!” Preston said.

Thus, Scruffy to Fluffy Pet Grooming came to be.

Opening in 2021, the doggy salon began as a weekends-only side hustle for Preston, who started to take Fridays off at Northpoint to build her business. “It was scary at first, but I had enough clientele built up over the years to stay steady.

When I opened here, most everyone followed me, and I’ve been busy ever since!” Preston said. “I service more than just people from Lynchburg. I have clients from Winchester, Tullahoma, and even Murfreesboro. We have them all.”

Scruffy to Fluffy soon grew into a legacy where Preston cultivated her passion in the place where her grandmother practiced her trade. “This was my granny’s shop, and she was a successful businesswoman here. It’s funny because she did hair, and I do, too, just a different breed of hair!” Preston said.

Today, Preston’s business is still a family affair. Her Aunt Ada, known affectionately as “sister,” bathes and dries dogs so that Emily can focus on grooming. “I am so very thankful for Ada. It takes a special person to have retired and then pick up another job helping me,” Preston said. “Along with her other roles, she’s also a professional treat giver to the pups! I am so blessed to have her.”

Preston has carefully honed her craft and found grooming is more than just trimming or bathing dogs. “I love the creativity of it and love pushing myself to see what I’m capable of. And I so love the people. We enjoy chitchatting with the clients,” Preston said. “I don’t know what else I would do.”

Many of Lynchburg’s proud dog owners drop their pooches off to be buffed and puffed by Preston – myself included – and know that when they return, they’ll be met with warm greetings and a cacophony of excited dogs awaiting their families. Preston is proud of her place within Moore County: “We’re happy to be here and to have the nice community. They are so supportive of us.”

So the next time your furry friend needs a bath, make an appointment with Scruffy to Fluffy and stop in for a nice chat with Emily and Ms. Ada.