Pretentious Pooch Blog

Inky the Squid Cat Toy

I created these on-and-off a while ago and customers keep coming back asking for them; so, I decided to add them as a permanent inventory item at Pretentious Pooch Baltimore.

See them in our web store: 

http://www.pretentiouspooch.com/store/inkythesquid.html 

Thanks,

Tom Berger
Pretentious Pooch
1017 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

Slim Dog C line of collars, leashes, harnesses are finally here.

It feels like it's been an eternity that I have been working on these collars and leashes.  I've been working on them in my 'spare' time -- like there is any of that, really.

*    Selecting the fabric
*    Pre-washing, ironing, and cutting
*    Choosing and ordering matching hardware
*    Fighting with my equipment and process
*    Ump-teen trips and reorders for supplies
*    Battling Schnutzer the cat, who insisted on helping
*    Designing and producing tags
*    Building a photo box and taking images

It's finally here.  Take a look

 

 

  

Features:

*    Cotton materials - machine washable
*    Unique buckle and hardware
*    Durable nylon webbing construction
*    Leashes are adjustable in length
*    Leashes have a ring to hang your poop bag holder

Enjoy.

-Tom

  

Pretentious Pooch will host the 4th Annual Mt. Vernon Halloween Pet Walk Trick and Treat.  Join us for a night of fun as we take our dogs to local businesses for some treats.  Door prizes are donated by local businesses.

Pretentious Pooch
1017 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-7777
www.pretentiouspooch.com

 

It's been a while since my last post.  So what have we been up to?

1) we've been incorporating more food lines

--Azmira Holistic

--Other food lines:

--Taste of the Wild

--Health Food 4 Dogs

--Now!

--Tiki Dog and Tiki Cat

--Mulligan's Stew

2) we've been paying off some of our advertising debts (geez these things will kill ya)

3) we've brought in a store cat - Schnutzer

4) we have decided to run one print ad every other week in the City Paper

  

5) we have hired a behind the curtain employee to help us update our web store

6) we have been redesigning our web site to match our web store

7) we've launched our own shampoo line called Pooch Botanicals

8) we opened a FaceBook page for Pretentious Pooch...please be our fan

I think that brings you up to date with the goings ons at Pretentious Pooch.

Tom Berger

Co-Owner

Pretentious Pooch

A Baltimore Pet Store

1017 Cathedral Street

Baltimore, MD 21201

www.pretentiouspooch.com

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

Today started out as a typical rainy day.  Mid-afternoon the sun cam out.  Then things went downhill--a front came in with fierce wind.  Our rainy day sale sign blew down the block to City Cafe, the hail started pounding down, and folks were running for cover.

Chai does not like rainy days and she especially does not like wind.  The rattling of a sign terrifies her.

Any day it rains we have a Rainy Day Sale.  We've been quite busy, in spite of the weather and wind.

See you soon,

Tom Berger
Owner
Pretentious Pooch
A Maryland Dog Store
1017 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
www.pretentiouspooch.com

Political Dogs - 2008 Primary

Today is the 2008 Primary Elections in Baltimore -- the famed Chesapeake Primaries -- woooo!  It's not often than our vote helps determine the candidate so this primary is especially special.  In fact, for some reason (maybe it's just because the media has told me so) this year is particularly special.  Anyway, here at Pretentious Pooch in Baltimore, Maryland, we have a few items brought in just for this sort of event:

We have Hillary, Obama, McCain dog treats.  We also have Republican Elephant dog treats and Democrat Donkeys dog treats.  You can look at these treats in one of two ways.  They can be a special treat of support; or, they can be a symbol you throw to the dogs to have chewed up and devoured unmercifully.  You choose - isn't freedom great!

Ways that may help determine if you dog is a democrat or a republican:

1) Is your dog covered by health care?  Yes (Democrat)    No (Republican)
2) Is your dog a show dog? Yes (Republican)   No (Democrat)
3) Did you get your dog from a local shelter?  Yes (Democrat)   No (Republican)
4) Do you spend more on your dog than on yourself? Yes (Democrat)   No (Republican)
5) With the economic stimulus money entering the economy, will you be spending it on your dog (Democrat)   or   accumulating other citizen's stimulus via a business venture and investing them on Wall Street (Republican)?
6) Do you know the breed of your doggy's daddy?  Yes (Republican)   No (Democrat)
7) Does your dog try to play with other dog's it meets on the street or does it strut by and ignore the other dogs on the street? Plays (Democrat)  or Ignores (Republican)
8) Did your dog graduate from a private dog obedience class? Yes (Republican)   No  (Democrat)
9) Which best describes a day out for your dog? Playing stick in a local park. (Democrat) A cruise on the Inter-coastal Waterway in a private yacht.  (Republican)
10) Has your dog ever humphed or licked a dog of the same sex? Yes, in public (Democrat)   No, at least not in public (Republican)

Bonus Questions: If your dog shares it's home with a cat, forget all of the above, it is by default a Dem.  If you were confused by this ballot because the Yes/No Democrat/Republican answere order was switched, you are a Dem.

Happy Election Day!

Tom Berger
Pretentious Pooch
A Maryland Dog Store
Located in Baltimore
www.pretentiouspooch.com

Best of Baltimore Party

We closed the store early on Thursday, August 16th, to attend the Best of Baltimore party as honorary winners of this year's award, "Best Doggie Decor". 

The event was held near the Inner Harbor at the Power Plant Live courtyard.  Winning Best of Baltimore restaurants and bars catered the event that featured live entertainment.

What are my cheers and jeers? 

Cheers to
- our neighbors on Charles Street in Mt. Vernon, Akbar Indian Restaurant, for not only winning a Best of Baltimore award but for serving what I considered to be the most flavorful dish of all the best area restaurants.  If you like Indian food, Akbar is great.
- Cheers to Maggie Moo's for serving up Batter Up ice cream on a balmy Baltimore evening. 
- Trader Joe's for great cheesecake

Jeers to
- all the many restaurants who served gazpacho - don't be so lazy, cook something 
- long lines of people waiting to scarf down free food and alcohol
- to the people who didn't even read the Best of Baltimore magazine but attended the party
- to the scantly dressed women who thought this was a nightclub pickup joint

Tom Berger
Pretentious Pooch
Baltimore Pet Boutique
1017 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-7777
www.pretentiouspooch.com
www.pretentiouspooch.mobi

Trade Show Reflections

I recently attended the Spring 2007 Pet Industry trade show at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. If you have never been to one of these events, let me take a second to describe it.

There are about 20, city-block-long isles lined with vendors selling everything pet related you could imagine. (Side note: I find it amazing how there can be thousands of manufacturers at these shows but the three or four Baltimore pet stores somehow choose the same items to stock—it’s aggravating.)

The attendees range from hoity-toity boutique owners (a popular hobby for rich housewives--not us of course) to the almost extinct feed mill types. Anyway, some of these characters have lists and are dashing from vendor to vendor; others are browsing casually.

But the most insane group is the scroungers. These owners lurk around until the show closes and then dart from display to display bargaining with vendors to take home what they don’t want to carry, on the cheap of course. This is a trade show, for God’s sake, not a yard sale people!

In spite of this chaos, we were able to select some interesting things to bring to the Baltimore market:

-Toys modeled after microorganisms (mange, heartworm, rabies)

-Wholesome treats for cats and dogs

-Sports themed dog tags (Ravens and Orioles)

The show was also a way to connect with our manufacturers. It’s important for us that our vendors know us by name, face, and dog. When we need something special for our customers it isn’t so hard to get when they know the face on the other end of the line.

Chai is getting very known, too. A few people came up to us asking if she was the same dog they saw at the New York City Fashion Show last summer.

So, I would call it a successful trip.

Tom Berger
Owner
Pretentious Pooch
Baltimore Dog and Cat Store
1017 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201 
443-524-7777
www.pretentiouspooch.com

Unique Shopping Experience

At Pretentious Pooch, a Baltimore dog store, I strive to offer customers a unique shopping experience, but this is not as easy as it sounds.  Further, I often question whether I'm doing my customers a service.

I like to to find the odd and unique items that our Baltimore shoppers can't find just anywhere.  But with manufacturer representatives making rounds to every pet shop in town I find that good products often materialize at other stores.  A manufacturer's rep. told me yesterday, "There is no such thing as exclusivity."

The other issue I struggle with is, when we find a great product, do we keep carrying it for a long time or switch it out so our customers have a variety when shopping and a reason to keep coming back.

For right now, our store philosophy is to offer our shoppers a unique shopping experience.  So, we monitor our product lines closely.  We are constantly looking for products that are not found elsewhere.  As soon as we see that the product is being sold at other stores, we drop the line and look for another.  Products that our customer love we keep longer but if they are found at our competitors, their life here is numbered.

What do you think?  Am I running the store as you would like it to be ran?

Tom Berger
Pretentious Pooch
Baltimore Pet Store
1017 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-7777
www.pretentiouspooch.com