Pet Stores: Where Offering Quality Is Never Barking Up the Wrong Tree

By Sara Karnish

Pet boutiques carry a wide range of gifts and essentials for their four-legged customers and the humans who love them.

Quality ingredients and materials are important to pet owners, and retailers are always looking for new ways to delight their clientele. “Our top-selling item would be our bulk treat section,” said Jennifer Lugar , owner of Unleashed Pet Bakery & Boutique in Roanoke, Va. “We have 16 different varieties of treats that we rotate out. Owners can bring their pets in, sample the treats, and mix and match the varieties.” Likewise, treats are a popular item at Doggy Doos Boutique & Barkery in Sayre, Pa., according to Owner Melanie Stratton . “Our baked goods are our biggest sellers—homemade human grade treats and birthday cakes,” she said. “We have a full deli of homemade dehydrated items. We also sell a locally-made Dog Brew, which is beer without the hops. That’s a huge seller— really healthy ingredients. Other big sellers are our smoked bones, which my husband smokes for me, and our hand- made dog clothing—pajamas, sweaters, coats, which are made locally by a friend of mine.” Both said the edible gifts sell so well because pet owners are taking a stronger interest in what they give their canine friends. “The reason why our treats are popular…variety is the main reason, but they’re also preservative-free, chemical-free, and they contain simple ingredients pet parents can trust. People are leaning more toward simple ingredients when it comes to treats,” Lugar said. Stratton added, “People are waking up as far as the ingredients in pet products. They are getting smarter [and] researching. I’m a huge proponent of animals eating a species-specific diet, and am just a big fan of animals eating healthier diets.”

Colleen Young , operations manager at The Fish and Bone in Portland, Maine (with a second location in Boston, Mass.), said like most