04/27/2023: EXCITING NEWS!
We have some very exciting news, Lindsey Pinson has opened up her own salon! We are so proud of all her hard work and if you are looking for her, you can find her at theLJgroomingco.com We are also pleased to announce the arrival of a new addition to our business, a MOBILE GROOMING VAN! More details to come!!
02/17/2023: Groom Expo West- Pasadena, Ca.
A Cut Above traveled to southern california to compete at our home show! This time we brought our trainee Jeanette so she could take some seminars and see what competing was all about!! Despite Nathan and Kathlena putting in their best effort we only took home experience and learning this time. Kat Greaney took it all! She won third place in entry wire with shop dog Friday the scottish terrier! She also took third place in the handscissor all other purbred catagory with her very own Lumiere, Champion bichon frise!! Then on the last day she took 1st place in rescue roundup securing an invite to hershey later this year to compete again! We are so incredibly proud of her and how hard she works! Thanks for all the support!
With Love,
Your friends at A Cut Above
01/17/2023: Paws at Sea Cruise- Bahamas
Greetings from A Cut Above!! The salon took a much needed rest and four of us took a super awesome grooming cruise to the Bahamas!! It was so amazing to be among our peers, get to take some lessons and then relax and unwind with our friends in such a beautiful location! We got to do a fun grooming gameshow and won several awards because we can't even go on a cruise without winning things! Nathan Austin won the Goofy Groomer award and won a free ticket to next years cruise!! Kat Greaney won facebook fanatic and a pair of scissors and groom loops! It was such an amazing time and fun was had by all. Nathan even got asked to come back and speak next year! We are so proud!
With love,
your friends at A Cut Above
01/06/2023: Whitman's Grooming Competition- Schaumburg, Il.
The owners of A Cut Above traveled again and did it! Kathlena Austin took first place in wire with a scottish terrier which bumped her into the open divison with her husband! She also took second place in sporting competing for the first time with a welsh springer spaniel! How exciting! Nathan Austin took third place in sporting open divison with his english cocker spaniel! Congratulations again guys!
10/02/2022: U.S. Pet Pro Classic- Irving, TX
Owners of A Cut Above traveled to Texas to compete again! Kathlena Austin competed with Swayze, the english cocker spaniel, and recieved second place in her divison! Unfortunetly she did not get any pictures as there was no professional photographer this time. Nathan Austin competed with Woody, the standard poodle, and took third place in open poodles! We are so proud of our team!
9/22/2022: Groom Expo Grooming Competition- Hershey, PA
We did it again!
A Cut Above traveled to Hershey, PA to attend the Barkleigh award ceremony and compete again. The Barkleigh awards are comparable to the Oscars for groomers. We were exteremly. honored to be able to attend this ceremony and celebrate Nathan Austins Up and Coming groomer nomination with all of our peers!
Nathan Austin placed 2nd is Open Division Wire with Scottish Terrier, Red. He also recieved a 2 group placement in this division. During the All Other Purebreds catagory, Nathan recieved an honorable mention from Irina Pinkusevich on his Kerry Blue Terrier, Hercules.
Kathlena Austin placed 1st in Intermediate Division Wire with Scottish Terrier, Josie. Sharing the stage and group tables with her husband Nathan was such a great experience to see!
Katherine Greaney placed 2nd in Entry All Other Purebreds catagory with Bichon Frise', Cricket. Katherine then competed for the first time in Entry Sporting division and placed 3rd with English Cocker, Enzo.
Lindsey Pinson placed 3rd in the Rescue Round-Up invitational with Bernadoodle, Nellie. Rescue Round-Up is a competion where everyone competes in the same catragory and only those who have placed throughout the year are invited to the invitational!
We are all so proud of eachother and these placements. Traveling as a group and supporting eachother is a dream come true for us. Thank you for all your support!
With love,
Your friends at A Cut Above
8/31/2022: SuperZoo Grooming Competition- Las Vegas, NV
It's time for an update from your favorite groomers!
As most of you already know, A Cut Above was closed last week. We were all at it again in Las Vegas at the country's largest animal expo! Competing is something that we cannot get enough of and love being able to share our successes with all of you. Most classes are broken down into three divisions: Entry, Intermediate, and Open. Entry division is for individuals who are getting started in competitive grooming. The next division is intermediate. Open Division is where you will find the top groomers in the country. Many of whom are on Groom Team USA! We are so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to be able to do what we love every day. We are constantly striving to better ourselves.
We will be leaving in two weeks to travel to Hershey, PA to attending another grooming competition. However, this one is a little different. They are hosting an award ceremony held by Barkleigh. We are thrilled to be able to say that our very own Nathan Austin has been nominated for BEST UP AND COMING GROOMER! Only five groomers in the country are nominated for this title and we can confidently say that he deserves this nomination!
Wish us luck!
With love,
Your friends at A Cut Above
Kathlena Austin placed FIRST in intermediate division Sporting class with English Cocker, Swayzee!
Nathan Austin placed THIRD in open division Poodle division with Standard Poodle, Woody!
Katherine Greaney placed FIRST in entry division All Other Pure Breds with her Bichon Frise, Lumiere!
Lindsey Pinson placed FIRST place in all division Model Dog (these are fake dogs with very complicated hair)!
3/3/2022: Groom Expo West Grooming Competition- Pasadena, CA
Hello Everyone!
We wanted to share our recent success with you all that we had at Groom Expo West last month! Kathlena, Nathan, Lindsey, and Kat all went to compete at the grooming competition together and won big! We were featured in the Castro Valley Forum (what an honor, thank you!) and you can check it out here!
"Local Grooming Shop wins big at the West Coast’s largest grooming competition! A Cut Above Grooming Salon, Castro Valleys only completely Master certified salon and NextDoor’s favorite local grooming salon, attended GroomExpo West in Pasadena, CA last month. Owner Nathan Austin left with the most trophies out of any other groomer in the competition including 1st place in Poodle Class, 1st Place in Sporting class, 1st place in All Other Purebred Class, and 3rd in Wire coated class. Then he went onto winning two group placements 1st in All other Purebreds and 2nd in Poodles. Finally he won Best All Around Groomer of the whole show! Kathlena Austin, his wife, won 1st place in wire division with her champion Scottish terrier. On the very last day Kathlena Austin, Katherine Greaney and Lindsey Pinson did rescue roundup where they groomed dogs from a local recuse group in an attempt to help them find their forever homes! Lindsey Pinson took 2nd place with her rescue boy for making him so extra cute! What a wonderful weekend had by the whole salon!"
With love,
Your friends at A Cut Above
02/09/2022: NextDoor's Neighborhood Favorite Grooming Salon
Hello Everyone!
Let us first start by saying, THANK YOU! We were voted 2021's Neighborhood Favorite Grooming Salon and feel so honored. We apprecaite all the love we have recieved and continue to recieve on a regular basis and we couldnt do it without each and every one of you.
With love,
Your friends at A Cut Above
12/1/2021: Important Scheduling Update For Our Clients
Hello Everyone!
A Cut Above in Castro Valley just turned TWO! We cannot thank you enough for your business and support over the past two years. We have truly enjoyed caring for your fur babies and are so thankful for the relationships we’ve built. We are excited to spend many more years working as a team to care for your pets.
As many of you are personally experiencing the emotional and financial obstacles that Covid has brought, we have made every effort to maintain our pricing. While we have been fortunate enough to remain open, all our supplies and other expenses have increased dramatically. We did not want to add additional burdens to you and your family, so we tried to absorb these extra costs. We had to examine our business practices closely, so we hired a consultant to reevaluate our business.
Like many other businesses, we have learned that to survive this catastrophic pandemic, we must make swift adjustments. We will be restructuring our business to best benefit our team while keeping you and your pups at heart. It’s the only way we can continue to provide the quality service and products your pet deserves while keeping our business afloat for many years to come.
Effective January 1st, we will work towards having clients who can commit to a standing 4 week- maintenance grooming schedule. Once those haircut appointments are filled, we will not be adding more haircut spaces. We will still be accepting short haired dogs (who never require trimming) for bath appointments. This is a four-week routine, not a monthly appointment. For example, if someone chooses June 2nd, for their appointment, we would see them again on June 30th and every four weeks after that.
Services will continue to be all-inclusive to ensure your pet receives the very best service every visit with top quality products in our salon. Pricing will vary based on the time, care, and attention your pet requires. Our starting price for small dog haircuts will be $100, and the starting price for standard size doodle breeds will be $200. Along with renovations in our salon, we have remodeled our booking system and website- so please check it out!
We have made these updates to our business model because we hold ourselves to the highest standard of quality and knowledge. We want to create consistency, healthy and happy pups, and beautiful grooms. Each groomer will begin to have very limited space available on their schedules. Please let us know what you decide as soon as possible. We would love it if you were a part of this new chapter, but understand everyone must do what is best for their families, pets, and budgets.
Again, we would like to thank you for all your support. We appreciate you and the trust you place in us by allowing us to care for your beloved pets. We will see you soon!
With love,
Your friends at A Cut Above