1Moochie & Co., based in Worthington, Ohio, s a w o p p o r t u n i t y
where others didn’t
with mall-based pet stores.
“Its very difficult for us to
draw people to the mall, but we
can draw them to the store once
they’re in the mall, and once they
are in the store, we are very good
at turning them into customers,”
said Mike Dagne, who co-owned
the store with Al Bell, when they
were honored for merchandising
in 2008.
Their keys to successful merchandising: “Don’t try to reinvent the wheel,” said Dagne.
“Make sure everything looks
nice. That’s what makes good
merchandising.
“Whether you have six or 600
stores, you need to differentiate yourself,” Dagne continued.
“Everybody should be able to
articulate how they’re different
and what makes them better
than the competition. If you can
do that, your business will be
successful.”
2Four Your Paws Only in Con way, N. H., took home the Retailer of the Year prize in
2009. Brian Ahearn, who owns
the store with his wife, Kathy,
explained their success in a
nutshell.
“From a business perspective
it’s pretty simple,” said Brian.
“You treat a customer well at the
beginning, and you will have
that customer for the rest of the
pet’s life.”
“We live and breathe our
store,” said Kathy. “We are very
well known in the community,
and people trust us because we
practice what we preach. We’re
constantly trying something dif-
ferent, and our customers appre-
ciate that.”
3Pattie Storms’ Well Bred in Chester, N.J., was early in offering
high-quality human-grade treats. For Storms, it’s
important that pet owners can
come in and talk with people
who understand them.
“I like to make it fun for cus-
tomers to be around people who
care and are interested,” she
said. “People like to have some
place to go where no one will
think they are crazy. They want
to be able to say that ‘My dog
doesn’t like the blue toy; he likes
the pink.’ I can say ‘Look around
you; I don’t think you’re crazy.
I mean, consider where you are
and who you are talking to!’”
4Best in Show on Cas- tro St. in San Francis- co was started by
“Pick a cause that is near and
dear to your heart and that you
are passionate about,” said Shiu.
“We wanted to help people affected by HIV/AIDS—the No. 1
issue in [our] community. Find
what you’re passionate about
and any nonprofit will welcome
you with open arms.”
5Heidi Taiger, who founded Poochey Couture in Montreal,
“For my customers, it’s not
just about shopping, it’s a social
event,” Taiger said. “We always
gather as much information as
we can about our clients—
including email addresses.
“Having a business is a 24/7
job, but all the work you put into
it—customers appreciate that,”
she added.
6TailsSpin Pet Food & Accessories has re- mained heavily engaged with its community since opening its first store
in Savannah, Ga., 10 years ago.
Since then, it has grown to three
stores, all of which play a role in
their respective communities.
“At the end of the day, we
can’t exist by ourselves,” said
Jeffrey Allen Manley, co-owner.
“We don’t always know where
these associations will lead, but
so often, doors suddenly open.”
“We want students to understand the responsibility of pet
ownership,” said co-owner Jusak
Yang Bernhard.
7Brad and Karin Logan owned three Petland franchise stores in Las
Vegas when they won
in 2009. For them, one of the keys
to success was training employees for three main functions: store
managers, pet counselors or animal care technicians.
“What we have tried to do
is be very systematic about it,”
Brad said. “We track our employees’ progress, award certifications and give people a sense
of accomplishment.
“A lot of training is done
during the course of the day,”
he added. “One of the main jobs
of our managers is to provide
training on the floor. If they see
someone do something that is
not part of the system, they pull
them aside and explain why we
do things a certain way.”
8Katrina Boucher opened Cape Cod Dogin2005.Herchal-
lenge—as well as the
secret to her success—is that she
has a local customer base and, in
summer, a huge tourist clientele.
From May to September she kept
the store open seven days a week
and then scaled back to six days at
Christmas. She also tweaks her
inventory for the two different
groups of shoppers.
“Our product line is a delicate balance between what tourists want and what locals need,”
Boucher said. “In the summer,
we order more frequently and
increase inventory of some
items, such as the logo items, but
keep inventory of other items
the same. My business just keeps
growing and growing,” she said.
9Pet Pantry Ware- house, which has five locations in Connecticut, sells a full range
of pet supplies as well as fish and
aquatic supplies. The business
places an emphasis on healthful
food choices, and that has meant
training staff so that they can answer the many questions customers have.
“It’s really important to us
that if one of our staff doesn’t
have the answer they will
find it,” said Joshua Roth, vice
president.
But the education doesn’t
stop with employees. Pet Pantry
plans to create educational programs for pet owners—and their
kids.
“Catering to family, and especially children, is a big belief for
us,” said Ari Jacobson, vice president. “Down the road we are
looking at presenting workshops
12 Lessons From the Best of the Best
Pet Product News honors the best pet stores
every summer with its prestigious Retailer of
the Year Award. Here’s a look back at what past
winners reveal as secrets to their success.
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