Lucky Duck Pet Stuff & Grooming
Chesapeake Beach, Md.
Carla Wynn, owner

How’s business?

I’m a newbie. This is the end of my third year having the store. Opening the store was a giant leap of faith not having done anything like it before. Just before starting the store, I was semi-retired, and I was an outside sales manager before that. When I had to go back to work, I wanted to do something that I’d love. It was slow the first year; the second year had some improvement. And I just got my numbers from my accountant for the third year. The year-to-date gross is even still higher compared to last year.

What are your top sellers?

I sell top-of-the-line, USA-made, organic and natural food and treats. I also sell supplements, toys, harnesses, leashes, coats and stuff like that. And we offer grooming, but the bulk of the income is definitely in food and treats.

Are you doing anything new?

My store’s located in a small community in the Chesapeake Bay, surrounded by water. So I think the location makes business really dependant on word-of-mouth. There are other stores that I have to compete with, but they’re a bit of a drive away. Right in this community, I’m the one to go to. I’m right off the bay and a short walking or driving distance away for most customers. Because of that, I do a little advertising, but it’s mostly just word of mouth.

And I try to be as personal as possible. I also promote rescue and refer people to the local rescue organizations. I donate to rescue. And the nearest veterinarian refers people to me, so I refer back to them, too. It’s important to me to be educating people, too. I read Whole Dog Journal and a lot of other pet nutrition books so that I can educate people on what a difference proper nutrition can make to their dogs’ health. Our on-site grooming is also really personal. We take one dog at a time, and it’s really low-stress. Owners can watch the whole thing or even help if they want to. And the dogs are allowed to wander throughout the store. I also will do pick up and delivery for products or to bring in dogs or people who can’t drive themselves to the store. It’s an accommodation; I’m not doing it to make money. I do it at no charge.  --LH

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Green Pawz Pet Supply
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Lisa Pearce, owner

How’s business?

We’ve only been open for about 9 months, so it is increasing. It goes up every month. It’s been a consistent growth, I’d say. We saw an increase every month, and last month was probably one of our busiest months.

What’s new?

We’re probably going to do the picture with Santa the second week in December. We’re doing a lot of food promotions, pushing a lot of new foods (particularly raw diets).

[We’re] just getting ready for the holidays. New Christmas toys, that kind of thing.  --KI

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Pets in the City
St. Louis, Mo.
Dawn Bell, store manager

How’s business?

Our business never really changed [during the recession]. There was a short amount of time—maybe a week or two weeks—where the treats stopped selling, but then people were like, “Oh, forget it. I’ll just go ahead and get it.”

What are some best-selling products?

We always do really well with our Premier Fido Fleece jackets. That’s the only main jacket line that we carry but they always do really well. Most of the products we carry are more the down-to-earth, non-boutiquee-type items. All of our foods have stayed pretty steady for all of the brands.

Orijen from Champion Petfoods has done really well since it first came in. We try to get inexpensive toys in and not get a bunch of stuff that’s going to cost people a fortune. We get in the ones that you can afford for your dog to destroy within an hour and it’s not going to break the bank.

We have a little bit of small animal and bird products but mainly products for dogs and cats.

Who are your customers?

My made-up title that I use for our customer base is “yuppy hippies.” We’ve got the older hippies that come in, too, but we also have a lot of the younger people that traditionally would have been called yuppy but they’re trying to go with a more natural lifestyle.

What are some conveniences or services that you offer customers?

We allow animals in the store. And we have a full grooming shop in the back and a self-wash. The self-wash is a little slow. It comes and goes. But on the weekends it’s typically pretty busy. We put the self-wash in about 2 1/2 years ago. --JMB