Pretentious Pooch Is Not Closing

We're all struggling with the Recession (at least most people I talk to are).  I realize that we're not going to give up gas for our cars; instead, we'll cut back on discretionary spending.

The truth is we've had some tough months.  That, combined with the fact that our lease is up for renewal, caused us to examine our success and profitability (which we don't consider to be the same thing). We are a success.  We're proud of the boutique and the reputation we built.  If we closed today we could hold our heads high.

Profitability, we'll that could use some work. We've got to carry more of the products people want on a regular basis, without compromising who we are. We don't want to become a supply store.  We also need to watch our spending.  Some days it seems like everyone wants to suck us dry -- ad salespeople, charity fund-raisers,  taxes, BGE, City of Baltimore, landlord, trade-shows---aaahhh!  We've got to tighten our belts and become, oh no, cheap.

So, here is what we decided to do:

1.  Limit the amount of apparel we sell.  There just isn't that much demand for dog apparel in Baltimore.
2.  Limit the amount of very high end merchandise -- the over $200 collars and carrier bags.
3.  Carry more food lines.  Although food is not very profitable, it keeps customers returning to your store on a regular basis and we believe in superior nutrition for pets.  We have very loyal, regular, local customers but there are still a large majority of Mt. Vernon dog owners who pass us by and we are hoping that carrying more food lines will increase our local support.
4.  Carry more sturdy, moderately priced collars and leashes.
5.  Limit our apparel to the basics: rain gear and cold weather wear.  Very few customers are looking for much more.
6.  Gather feedback from customers on what we can do better.  Feedback Survey  Food Survey
7.  Increase our floor space to allow for more selection.
8.  Limit our advertising.
9.  Limit our donations to charity events (sorry).
10. Become frugal.

So we ARE resigning our lease.  We are not closing.  We just need to morph a bit.  To that end, we are having a big clearance sale to more out merchandise and replace it with more in-demand products.  We value any feedback positive or negative.

See you real soon.

Tom Berger
Christopher Woodside
Owners, Pretentious Pooch
A Baltimore Pet Boutique
1017 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-7774
www.pretentiouspooch.com