As a pet specialty retailer, what is your favorite part of the day?
Mike Maida: In the morning when we open our doors and have the whole
day ahead of us. We look forward to meeting new customers—human and
dog—and catching up with our regulars who might just stop in for a chat
or to give their dog a quick treat.
What are the most challenging aspects of what you do every day?
Maida: We’ve come to learn that you can’t make everyone happy all of
the time with grooming services, even when you go out of your way to
try. Working with difficult/unhappy clients has taught us that it’s best to
be very clear upfront about how we do things, and if that doesn’t match a
customer’s expectations, we can honestly tell them we are not the right fit for
their needs. It doesn’t happen
often, but you do get better at
dealing with these situations.
What’s the best compliment
you’ve ever received from a
customer?
Maida: Getting a phone call just
to tell us how happy a client is
with their dog’s grooming. The
groomers love hearing it, and
so do we!
Also, when owners come
back to Pawsh after their dog
has passed away to tell us the
news in person. It’s a huge
compliment when they make
that difficult trip without their
best friend to let us know what
our store meant to them and
their dog. It means the world
to us and gives us closure to
extend a final “thank you” to
a customer for all their years
of patronage. We have been
around long enough now to
know many dogs for their
entire lives, and we have
built strong relationships
with many of them and their
owners.
What makes your particular niche
of the pet specialty market—a
boutique and grooming salon—
so unique and fun to be in?
Maida: It’s unique to have
both a grooming salon and a
high-end boutique under one
roof. The natural upstairs/
downstairs separation of our
space allowed us to have the
best of both worlds, and our
expansion within our building two years ago let us keep
up with demand. It’s great to
watch owners pick up their
perfectly coiffed dogs and immediately try on a new harness
or coat when they are looking
their best. In addition, the
mom-and-pop store is an endangered species these days,
and we love keeping one alive
in a great town like Boston.
IT’S A RETAIL LIFE
How a neighborhood mom-and-
pop shop in Boston stays com-
petitive with posh products and
full-service grooming.
Beantown Chic
PAWSH DOG IS LOCATED IN BOSTON’S BACK
BAY NEIGHBORHOOD.
