Simply Fabulous!

Entrepreneur, Mother, Daredevil

Krista Castellarin admits a series of unforeseen events brought her here, but she is grateful and enthusiastic about the way her life has played out.

Born in Yakima, Washington, she moved to Spokane when she was 18, and began advising small business owners on expansion or investment plans. She became a financial whiz, finally settling in Las Vegas.

“When I moved to Vegas, I told my boss that I had found my village and my people, and that I would never ever leave.”

But plans changed when she met Dwayne over the Internet in 2006. He came for his first visit in June and they were married by December.

“It totally turned my life upside down, backwards, extremely quickly.”

In 2007, Krista opened Fabulous Furballs, a pet grooming salon and high-end couture boutique in Sherwood Park. Think classy cuts and dye-jobs, Swarovski crystal and pearls for your pooch. She couldn’t be more pleased with the growth of her business.

“I had no idea… I don’t think it would’ve been possible at the time for me to really appreciate how big it was going to get. When we first opened, we were booking about four animals a day. Now we’re booking anywhere from 40 to 60.”

Fabulous Furballs isn’t the only thing that’s grown over the last two years. So have her family and her entrepreneurial endeavours. First and foremost, Krista is the busy mother of two little girls, the youngest born in July.

About six months after opening the salon, she purchased a grooming school in Leduc. Re-named The Fur Institute, it is the only licensed grooming vocational school in Western Canada. The students learn on site at Fabulous Furballs, with two professional groomers.

And then, there’s Fabulous Krista, her own line of groomers clothing, including a smock that says “Don’t you wish your groomer was hot like me?” in rhinestones. She also appeared on Animal Planet’s reality series, Groomer Has It 2, as the first Canadian contestant.

A truly dynamic individual, Krista admits to being a bit of a daredevil. The 29-year old has her motorcycle and pilot’s licences, and loves skydiving.

She is community minded and loves to give back. “Everyone who adopts a dog from the Humane Society gets 50 percent off their first groom. And every student who comes through here donates time to the humane society. I want people to understand that they can use their everyday skills to give back.”

Krista acknowledges that her first career paid for her second, and “can’t imagine doing anything else.”

- Written by Lauren Henrie, Edmontonians Sept 2009