Pet Product News Editorial Blog:
Friday, August 07, 2009
Welcoming New Pet Boutiques
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This week I would like to welcome two new pet boutiques to our industry, since I saw announcements of their grand openings in my news alerts in the last couple days.
Jennifer Landheer opened Bone Appetit in Champaign, Ill. August 1and seems to be optimistic about the chances of her pet boutique becoming a success despite the economic struggles across the country. According to The Daily Illini, an independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois (Landheer is a 2001 graduate), Landheer plans on differentiating her store by being willing to do more special orders than the average shop.
In the article, Landheer talks about her in-store treat making operation, noting that all of the ingredients in her treats are things one can buy at the grocery store. With a degree in animal sciences, opening a pet boutique might not have been Landheer’s original career goal, but like so many people in this industry, it seems her love of animals is guiding her.
Across the pond in England, also on August 1, a pet boutique business Posh Pup opened a brick-and-mortar shop in Yarmouth after almost a year of success online. According to the Yarmouth Mercury newspaper, Clark Sim and Amanda Hartmann got the boutique bug when Hartmann tried to get her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel into modeling and discovered the world of designer pet apparel. In the article, the shop owners talk about the importance of having an area where customers can try clothing on their dogs, noting that people often like to do the same for their dogs that they do for themselves.
Posh Pup, according to the article, is the first pet boutique to open in Yarmouth. Hartmann points to the success boutiques have had here in America in explaining her optimistic attitude toward her community’s acceptance of the concept.
Good luck to both businesses!
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