Downtown Dogs: Best in Show

By Carol Cortright

Who can resist the pure, tail-wagging love of a good dog?

Lucky is a squatty little fellow with a shaggy caramel coat and warm chocolate eyes that pull you in and make you feel as if everything’s going to be alright. He’s the official greeter at Downtown Dogs, Rene Neff’s swank and friendly pet boutique in Tampa’s tree-lined Hyde Park Village (and he highly recommends the Carnivore Crunch).

Rene and Lucky’s tale blends good timing and natural talent with passion and hard work, making it a model of business success that can teach any entrepreneur a few new tricks.

Lucky’s Lesson #1 Business ideas can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

Back in the late 1990s, before pet industry sales skyrocketed into the $40+ billion retail segment it is today, Rene Neff worked as a rehab therapist at Tampa General Hospital. After six years, the stress took its toll. “Working on the burn team, the things I saw human beings endure were horrible.”

Pet therapy dogs visited patients in the geriatric and burn units. Rene noticed the cute outfits sported by those four-legged ambassadors of affection. Through talking with their owners, she learned that there weren’t too many places they could buy doggie frills and finery—outlets existed, just not all in one place. A business idea took root.

Rene was no stranger to having pets in the family, either. She had adopted Sabre, a white German shepherd pup, while attending the University of Florida. Now, she says, “He’s king of the house.”

Her work at Tampa General demanded all of her energy, making it impossible to take on a side project. She left the hospital to research the possibility of opening an online store. She spent about six months checking out dog stores in other cities and developing a business plan.

“Writing my business plan was an eye-opener for me,” she said, explaining that “laying it all down on paper truly makes you analyze all the possibilities, both good and bad, of owning your own business.”

She also discovered that an excellent place to learn about a new industry is at a trade show. “If you attend just one, you’ll start getting information from all kinds of companies.”

Rene started assembling her inventory. She hired a website builder and off she went.

Lucky’s Lesson #2 Test the market and grow accordingly (and listen to your customers!)

Eventually, Rene took a part-time job at a funky home décor and gift shop in Hyde Park, which led to setting up space to display her growing canine collection. It was her opportunity to try a real retail setting without taking on the full risk of a lease herself.

Rene discovered that she had a natural talent for business, a skill for buying the right mix of merchandise, and that she was good at picking up on what people wanted. When the shop’s owners moved out of Hyde Park, Downtown Dogs took over the whole storefront and expanded into a full-scale pet boutique.

Meanwhile, a peculiar little brown dog had shown up in Rene’s neighborhood. Lucky had found a new home, not to mention a lifelong career as Rene’s muse and four-legged host of Downtown Dogs. “It was Lucky's addition to the family that really drove me to open a store for dogs,” she said.

Hyde Park Village’s revitalization and renovation plan prompted Rene to choose a new location for her shop. In February 2008, Downtown Dogs moved around the corner to Snow Circle, adjacent to the Wine Exchange—which boasts some fine outdoor seating for canine companions. She built out the new space with custom-designed wallpaper (look for the fire hydrants in the silver and chocolate flourishes), sparkling light fixtures, and an easy-care polished concrete floor.

Today, Downtown Dogs attracts pets and their owners from Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and as far away as Apollo Beach and Sarasota. What keeps them coming back? “It’s a combination of things,” Rene reasons. “Number one is customer service. And it’s our products: no one has as wide a selection of collars and other innovative products.”

Racks of collars studded with crystals and silver bones, or embroidered and embellished, line one wall. That’s just the beginning. Outfits, dishes, beds and shimmering shampoos! Chew toys galore! The “Dogs on Television” DVD! And a small, but well-stocked, bakery case filled with frosted peanut butter confections and swirls of carob that could put a human patisserie to shame.

Another factor in Downtown Dogs’ success is that they don’t just cater to the little dogs. “We have stuff for dogs of all sizes, from teacups to Great Danes. And people do recognize our variety of things made in the U.S.A. People have started asking about that over the last year,” she adds.

Likewise, the recent pet food scare brought questions from concerned “pet parents” who wanted to know that they were feeding their precious charges the healthiest food available. Rene listens and stocks her shelves accordingly. “People don’t always have the time to fully educate themselves,” Rene says, “So they come to us for advice. We only stock a few pet food brands, but they are the cream of the crop.”

Lucky’s Lesson #3 Spend your marketing dollars and time wisely.

In the beginning, Rene advertised in South Tampa Magazine because, as a bi-monthly direct mail publication, it targeted the population she wanted to reach—residents and businesses located in Downtown Dogs’ backyard. The magazine “did a really good job,” Rene said.

Downtown Dogs still buys occasional advertising, but says, “Word of mouth works the best for us. At the dog park, someone will see a dog with a really great collar and will ask where they got it,” she explains. “Friends tell friends.”

Her passion for pets and a drive to help them have the best lives possible are Rene’s two key marketing motivations. She chooses to maximize her time by focusing on causes that directly support animal welfare over more business-oriented networking activities. So far, her approach has paid off.

“My work with the Humane Society shows that we’re not just about the profit. Our charitable donations, percentage-wise, are in line with what the huge companies give…but it feels like it’s never enough” she says, allowing that Downtown Dogs’ presence at various Humane Society events also has reaped benefits for the shop.

Downtown Dogs reserves a corporate table at the Tampa Humane Society’s annual Tuxes and Tails gala, which includes a fashion show featuring local celebrities and furry companions strutting the runway. Downtown Dogs’ expansive selection of canine couture not only helps outfit the four-legged “models” to match their catwalk cohorts (former Buccaneers coach John Gruden to the Hulk Hogan family), it also showcases the shop’s collection to potential customers.

In addition, Downtown Dogs donates merchandise to auctions and other fundraisers—Rene fills every “Doggie Bag” with a sampling of specialty products, but more importantly, she’ll include a gift certificate to encourage a future visit to the shop.

Lucky’s Lesson #4 Be a meaningful asset to your community and it will respond.

Rene takes a lot of pride in her store, especially when visitors tell her “My dog loves coming here—he dragged me in!”

She keeps her “Dog House Rules” simple: all dogs are greeted first when they enter her shop and every dog gets a treat.

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Rene says. “And we stand behind our products 100%. If someone’s dog doesn’t like the biscuits, we’ll take them back.”

With its shady, pedestrian environment, the shopping district is about as dog-friendly as they come. “We love being here,” Rene says. “The neighborhood’s been good to us. People mingle more and linger with their dogs. They’ll walk their dogs over to say hello and have a biscuit.”

Hyde Park Village keeps a busy calendar and you can bet Downtown Dogs is in the thick of it. In addition to Third Thursdays, live music and art festivals, Downtown Dogs prompted the addition of an October Pumpkin Patch and a Block Party with Santa, both benefiting the Humane Society.

“I never had any doubts that we’d be a success,” Rene said. “I knew that in this location, a shop like ours couldn’t fail.”

Lucky’s Lesson #5 Find strength and inspiration all around you (and don’t forget to recharge your batteries).

Rene receives constant encouragement and assistance from her family, especially her husband Michael, a financial advisor, and her father Ron. “My dad taught me about having a work ethic,” she says, “And about learning to balance work and family. He also helped with the drywall and the bakery case in the new store. I get a lot of support from my dad.”

All of the ‘family dogs’ inspire her in making buying decisions for the store: “My parents’ black lab, Sambo, is our official toy tester, checking for strength and durability. If Sambo shreds a stuffed toy in minutes, I share that with my customers, especially if their dog is an aggressive chewer.” Rene finds that by providing customers with the most honest information available, they are happier with their purchases in the long run and it minimizes returns on items that did not meet their expectations.

“My dogs are at different levels of health, which raises my awareness of different needs,” she continues. “Sabre was diagnosed with a spinal column infection (discospondylitis) and we had to make a lot of changes in our home. His overall mobility was impaired…(so) I started researching a pet bed that addressed his orthopedic issues. That's why we now carry the Animals Matter Companion Ortho Bed and pet stairs…as well as a full line of accessories for the aging dog.”

Eleven-year-old Sabre has since almost fully recovered. Rene says, “He leads a pretty active lifestyle for an old dog. Having experienced this…has allowed me to share Sabre's story with my customers.”

Even though “buying for my store is incredibly fun, it is a lot of hard work,” Rene admits. “You definitely give up some personal freedom.” But when the time does come to take a break, where does a busy boy like Lucky and his parents head for a little R & R?
South Beach, of course. “Loews loves dogs,” she says of their favorite Miami hotel.

While it “wouldn’t be unreasonable” to consider adding a second store or even expanding the bakery selections in the future, Rene is happy for now to keep bringing in fresh inventory. “It’s such a joy…to see people walk away with new stuff.” And you can bet it’s wonderful stuff because, as Rene says, “Dogs are our world.”