Pet Gifts at Pet Boutiques

Pet Stores (From page 139)

keeping our eyes peeled on social for fun new toys!” Stratton said she gets ideas for new products by staying current with trends but putting her own spin on them: “I read a lot of magazines—a lot of pet magazines. I just take modern-day things and approach them more naturally. For instance, we do our own burger bites. I buy the raw meat, then dehydrate it and sell the treats. They’re much healthier than the bags of treats which are loaded with preservatives. Our cakes are made by a local baker and contain no white flour or white sugar. We sweeten them naturally with honey or applesauce, and they have a yogurt frosting.”

Many pet store retailers are understandably dogfriendly and welcome four-legged customers and their owners. When merchandising—often in a small space—retailers must get creative with their displays but are careful to not arrange edible merchandise on the floor. “We have a pretty small store [1,000 square feet], so we like to keep it as clean as possible and move things around weekly,” Lugar said. “For a good display, I think it needs uniformity, cleanliness, and you need to explain where a product comes from—tell the story and talk about the company.” Stratton stressed creating displays that are neat and organized so they are easy for customers to browse. She pointed out her employee regularly moves things around to generate interest around items that have been slow sellers.

Brhel said because she has limited space, she arranges her clothing by size. “It’s easy to find,” she pointed out, adding, “I dress my dogs a lot, too. They’re always wearing something different. I like to recycle items and use them as display pieces. For instance, I have an entertainment center that I’ve upcycled and use to display merchandise.” Stratton said ongoing supply chain issues have made it more challenging to create displays. “A good display is full, but it’s been hard getting merchandise, and the shipping costs are through the roof,” she explained. “But I like a nice presentation with lots of color, and something at eye level. I do a lot of Facebook videos drawing attention to my displays.” When merchandising at The Fish and Bone, Young said, “We love playful displays. We’ve hung things like seagull toys from the ceiling and put dog corn on the cob toys on cornstalks. We like to mix real with play. It’s also so important to keep displays minimal and not overdo them with products.”

Because of the close relationships many have with customers, pet retailers are active members of the communities in which they do business. “I want to stress how important it is to shop local,” Lugar said. “There are lots of creative people out there making wonderful things.” ❖