Starting a pet boutique shop - Questions?

**anj109** · 02-03-2008 11:23 PM

Ok so I have a good job but have always wanted to be my own boss. I love animals (have 2 dogs, a cat, 2 ferrets, 3 snakes, 2 toads, fish, etc.) so this would be something I'm passionate about. I'm 26 and working in an office for the rest of my life is just not going to cut it. I've been really driven lately to start my own business. I don't know much about business as I have a degree in IT but am a quick and eager learner.

I would love to open my first store in my hometown which has a bustling downtown with plenty of foot traffic (and then hopefully more after that in other locations). How do I know I will be successful in this town though? Is there any thing I can do before hand? I know I need to create a business plan but I don't really know where to start. My parent's have owned their own company (online retail) for the past 15 years so I'm definitlely going to get some advice from them.

What should be my first plan of action? Is something like a pet boutique shop a good idea with the economy the way it is right now? Will people still be buying clothing, toys, etc for their pets? This scares me the most.

Oh and my girlfriend would be going in on this with me.

Everyone's opions and help are much appreciated.

Thanks!
Alex

**SRichey** · 02-04-2008 02:35 AM

A pet store isn't a bad idea, but you do have to keep a couple of things in mind. For starters how do you plan on sticking out from the crowd of chain stores (Target, Wal-Mart) and big pet supply stores like Petco and PetSmart? Are there any stores in the town you live in that are going to be a close competitor? I would say before you do a business plan try doing a S.W.O.T analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths Weakness Opportunities and Threats. There is definitely room for quality high end products on the market, but have you thought about taking your pet store online rather than an actual (brick and mortar) store? You'd reach a bigger market and the financial outlay for inventory, rent, and employee cost would be much lower? I wish you the best of luck and hope it goes well. Keep us updated.

**anj109** · 02-04-2008 09:13 AM

Thanks for the response richey..... The closest large pet supply store is (i.e. petsmart and petco) is about 15 miles away. There is one pet store in close proximity but all they pretty much sell is pet food. Then there are a few small pet (fish) stores within 10 miles but there are NO pet boutique shops that specialize in clothing, nice colars and leashes, nice pet beds, fresh baked treats, etc. I would love to open the brick and mortar and then play off that with a website.

My girlfriend and I were also pondering the thought of opening a mens fashion store in our current, very unsaturated town which has a long main street with plenty of foot traffic and restaurants. The town is considered full of yuppies so I think an upscale mens clothing store would do great, since there are none in the general vacinity. There are plenty of Womens boutiques and stores though.

Out of the two, which is more likely to succeed and make more money?

Thanks!

**adamwade** · 02-04-2008 12:45 PM

You should consider having an online sales strategy as well as you brick and mortar store. Very few independents succeed on retail alone.

If you are a hybrid store , you chances of success will be much greater.

You need to have products that you are able to sell in your store as well as on the internet.

**BusinessAdviser** · 02-04-2008 01:10 PM

An idea that comes to my mind is working with one of the women's stores there and actually do both. Have the women's store carry a few fine pet clothes, which would allow them to differentiate itself from other boutiques (which is how I would sell it) and keep a portion of the sales of the items. Then you open your own men's fine clothing store and work with the boutique on promotion. Eventually, you might find you're able to expand your own store into those other areas.

The key though, before making any decisions, is to determine the demand for what you're considering providing.

**anj109** · 02-04-2008 01:53 PM

Thanks guys. I'm new to this so bear with me please

That's the thing I'm having trouble grasping, how do you go about figuring out the demand for something in a retail location? It's a busy town with plenty of foot traffic but other than that, how could I determine if there's a demand for a pet boutique or a men's apparel store? Both towns have neither, that's the only reason I can think of there being a demand.

Thanks again guys.

**BusinessAdviser** · 02-04-2008 02:06 PM

Surveys, focus groups, research, etc.

**Kimberly10** · 06-20-2009 09:48 AM

Hi Alex,
Have you had any luck w/researching, opening, etc? I am also thinking about opening a pet boutique and sell clothes, collars, upscale pet supplies, treats (but no dog or cat food). The primary items will be focused on dogs (kind of like Three Dog Bakery) except for less baked goods & more of other stuff...a little bit of cat items b/c there are some people that only like cats, so I wouldn't want to single them out.
A friend of mine gave me an idea of selling something that someone in our city has created- that way you can be known for selling that item and it gives it more of a "localness" feel and not be just some "random pet store."
Well, let me know how it's going and if you have ideas you can share too, that would be great!

Thanks,
Kim

**SerialEntrepreneurs.** · 06-20-2009 10:36 AM

It's great to hear your passion - follow your gut and you will succeed!!

I would strongly suggest starting with an online business....of course it can revolve around pets...for example you could buy the domain name PetFoodContainers.com and develop a web-based business that sells custom/decorative pet food containers.

According to Google, there are well over 1,500,000 search results for pet food containers and with a premium domain name like PetFoodContainers.com you can easily rank on the first page of Google for a keyword search on pet food containers....

With a business like this - you can keep your day job while building your start-up....
You can also launch an affiliate program where other people drive sales to you and you only pay for completed orders....

Make sense?

Hope this helps and best of luck!

**Klancenet** · 06-20-2009 09:59 PM

I have a dog and the only reason I go to specialty pet stores is for high end food and frozen bones. Everything else like toys etc I go to petsmart for because they are cheaper. There is definetely a demand for high end pet food if there is no other specialty pet stores in the area. As for the economy, people that love their pets go to crazy lengths to get them the best, their will always be a market for higher end pet products.

**dalex** · 06-20-2009 10:07 PM

I really recommend starting this venture online unless you plan on selling actual pets or offering actual services:

Starting online is very cost effective and wont require you to quit your day job until you see that your business has enough strengths to compete locally, offer high end pet products as you probably wont be able to compete with major corporations.

Offer services that entice people to choose your business over others, become an expert in the field you wish to serve and become envolved in organzations regarding pets.

Everyone needs a companion, and as stated above those who really care about their pets will go to great lengths for their pets and treat them as if they were there children. Many people don't want to have children and instead have pets.

I admit, I am a big fan of animals my self and planning on opening up a non profit organization to help small animals, Ferrets, Gerbils, Rats, etc.

**Archna** · 06-22-2010 08:47 PM

Hi, Im in Florida and my friend opened a pet spa in dec 2009 she has retail up front and grooming in back.

She has build her business to have 7-8 dogs a day and it keeps her pretty busy, she asked if I wanted to take over the retail area about 400-500sq ft. I would pay her a little rent and start my own pet boutique.... Good idea?

All I have to do to start is a little inventory.... And set up the place nice. The only and pet boutique is about 20 miles away in downtown...

I would be the only one in the area... Which is a upscale area. Please advice.

Thanks

**ONYArchitecture** · 06-23-2010 02:38 PM

I agree with Dalex. Starting your business online would drastically lower your startup expenses....

But then you would still spend a lot of time at your desk/home office.

**idealcost** · 06-26-2010 04:15 PM

I agree that this should not be a brick and mortar enterprise. I like the idea of selling online, but I have another crazy idea. I know that this will sound like a nutty MLM idea, but I could see this being a very good tupperware party style enterprise. Bring people and their pets to someones house and sell them these items. This is also a great way to get out of the office and it helps you market the products locally.

If you really want to go retail why not just try to sublease from another retail space to try it out for a bit? Getting your own location can be very pricey and a long-term commitment.

**lawinc** · 06-27-2010 07:44 PM

Of course with any business, be it home based or out in the general public, you will need to research your legal requirements, such as taxes and licenses. Most cities and counties will have restrictions and applicable laws pertaining to pet businesses, so do your homework.

If you are looking for a career change and already have pet experience, then the market is primed for you to enter into starting a pet business opportunity of your own. Even the novice pet owner can walk a dog. Animals are a permanent part of our culture and existence. There will always be a need for those with pet experience - even if that experience does not include buying sunglasses for your iguana!