Hannah's Birthday

Hey Everyone!

We celebrated Hannah's birthday on Tuesday, January 26th. While we don't know exactly how old Hannah is, owing to the fact that we adopted her from the Humane Society as an adult, we're saying it was her seventh! We are very grateful to the Humane Society for bringing Hannah into our lives and we wanted to give something back, so we donated 10% of all Yappie Hour purchases to them and our fantastic customers made sure the evening was a success.

We had a lot of fun and Hannah enjoyed having the store and the attention all to herself. (Sam stayed at home and probably slept on the couch.)

As a rule, we try to come up with something fun and new for each of a the dogs' birthdays. For Sam's birthday we came up with the dog food bowl cake, which meant we really had to top ourselves for Hannah. We tossed around a lot of cute cake ideas from cakes shaped like her favorite toys to new flavors.

But, in the end it wasn't the cake that was the innovation, but rather what was on top - Edible Dog Candles! I think Hannah may be the very first dog to ever have them! Of course, they don't actually burn, but they're cute just the same, and as far as Hannah was concerned, they're better because you can eat them!

I'm looking forward to carrying them in the store soon, in a variety of fun colors so that all Arkansas dogs can celebrate their birthdays in style!

Time Warp Photos

Hey Everyone!

The other day, Cary posted an essay of what we accomplished in 2009.  But, I am of the opinion that a picture is worth 1000 words, so I thought I would share pictures of what the store looks like now, and what it looked like then...  Enjoy

Just for posterity, this is the first Bigwag picture I ever received from Cary, the day he and Toby brought the dough sheeter home (and I mean home, literally, we had no location for the store yet)

MAY 2006

J 

 

OCTOBER 2006

Keep in mind, this is three months after we opened.  Toby was building the shelf in the middle of the store, but everything else was just as you see it!

NOVEMBER 2007

DECEMBER 2008

OCTOBER 2009

 

These photos aren't great whole store pictures, but they're the last ones I have from 2009 after the rearrangement.  Guess we got busy this December and forgot to take any full store shots, so I'll take one today for a final comparison.

TODAY - JANUARY 2010

From behind the counter

From the front door - straight ahead

 

From the front door to the right

  

From the front door to the left

 

Debt of Gratitude

 THANK YOU!

I have long said that we have the best customers and I will continue to say so, belated as it is, because you guys really went all out to help the Humane Society this Christmas.  At a time when we were surrounded by stories of economic hardship and a downturn in giving, you gave and gave and gave some more.  We collected medical supplies, collars, harnesses, lots of cleaning supplies, dog and cat treats, plus 280lbs of dog food and 72lbs of cat food.  In addition to that you donated $200 for spaying and neutering, which will go a long way to help reducing the population of homeless animals.  Plus, we collected gift cards to Lowe's and Wal-Mart that can be used for repairs to the shelter.  You guys are the greatest!  I can't say thank you enough and the staff at the Humane Society feels the same way.

These photos don't even really do justice to the amount of supplies that we in the store.  We had to store much of it behind the counter because otherwise there wouldn't have been room to walk around!

And congratulations to Angie McCormick, who won the raffle for those who donated.  Her dog Sam is a very lucky boy to be receiving this bed plus the treats, toys and more that was in the prize!

Are Mom and Pop Going Corporate?

According to Yahoo Finance, one of the top 10 trends in goumet food is the Mom and Pop shops going corporate, being purchased by large corporations. The reason being that the gourmet food business has been so lucritive the big corporations can't stand sitting back and watching. One example of this is Campbell Soup purchasing Ecce Panis, and Mom and Pop gourmet bread company.

According to Joseph Doria, Jr., owner of Grace's Marketplace on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, "Corporate food chains feel they can do gourmet food as well as independent stores. The problem is most corporate stores are commissary kitchens and cook food days in advance. Another problem I see is that corporations are more worried about ascetics and food cost, not about taste and quality."

So, this begs the question - once a large corporation takes the food production out of the local establishment and mass produced in huge kitchens, is it really gourmet food any longer? Maybe the ingredients are a little more on the high end, but does it still qualify as gourmet?

I am seeing this trend happen in dog treats as well - large corporations are producing and selling dog treats to mass merchandisers under the guise that they are gourmet. One thing that I have noticed after inspecting the ingredient statements on these treats is that the all primarily use sugar as the main flavor ingredient. While dogs love sugar, this is not always the healthiest route they should go, and a lifetime of sugar treats can lead to liver failure and diabetes - but sugar is cheap, especially corn syrup or it's many variations, or by products of beets (whats left over after they extract the usable sugar).

In order to sell these "gourmet dog treats" at the price point that is most attractive to the mass merchandiser customer, they have got to skimp on some if not all ingredients. You cannot have a "gourmet dog treat" when you use the same ingredients that you used in the rest of your "regular" treats, but you instead make them into pretty colors (artificial coloring is cheap) in cute shapes (do I really think that because it's steak shaped it's made of steak?) that we will pay more for them then the bland sugar treats you are selling for several dollars cheaper?

Plus, how long has it been in a warehouse? Here's a hint - you cannot use real cheese and have it last for a year and have the cheese contribute any more taste than cardboard. How many dog treats do you see out there with real cheese listed as an ingredient? Think about Joseph's statement above - most corporations do not worry about taste or quality. I really don't think a corporation that centralizes production can hold a candle to anything made locally in a kitchen, and I think there are enough dogs out there in NWA that will now refuse to eat (insert your 5 lbs for $3 favorite treat here) treats that have my back here.

There should probably be a formula that states if anything has traveled over X miles from the point of purchase, and spent Y hours in a warehouse, using Z low-grade ingredients it should not legally be qualified for the claim as "gourmet". How about X*Y*Z > 0 ?

We Did What in 2009???

2009 was a rollercoaster ride for us at Bigwag, and every year I like to write a post to reflect on the conclusion of one year with the bakery as we look forward to the next year. I usually do this in July, but I think we will be so busy in July I should take advantage of some extra time in January. 2009 was a fantastic year for us, and I hope it was for you as well.

If you recall this time last year, there was a peanut butter scare, and we introduced "Yappie Hour" to NWA for the first time. While we did not use any peanut products from PCA, many people still steered away from our soft bites and peanut barkers. Don't know that I blame them - never hurts to be too cautious. We've got some fantastic Yappie Hours planned for the next few months, as we will be repeating the ever popular Mardi Gras Yappie Hour, as well as some new ones like International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. These are fun events that you will be sure you do not want to miss.

In March we introduced our "Next Top Product" campaign, which we let our employees pick what they thought would be the next top product for 2009, and then we carried them in the store. Brandi won, but it was so exciting we have been adding new products to the store lineup ever since. If you recall what the store looked like in 2008 I doubt you would even recognize it now. We have seen the largest product expansion in 2009, and we are almost to the point we don't have any more room to add anything else - but we're still going to try. We'll be looking at some party supplies, more toys, and even more cool new products. We've taken the position that most of our products solves a problem. Bored dogs, aggressive chewers, itchy-scratchies,  chews up collars, special dietary needs, cannot stand to be fashionably out of place - I think you are getting the picture. We also look for as many companies that believe in their products so well they offer a guarantee.

2009 also saw us enter the world of Twitter for the business for the first time. We love our twitter followers. In my opinion the next generation of Twitter will be Foursquare. Whats really cool about Foursquare is that it combines a community like Twitter with a competitive element and a smart phone, and allows us to easily track your tags (times you have been in the store) for something like a customer loyalty reward program (hint hint). Plus, Foursquare integrates with Twitter and Facebook so that it broadcasts to all of your friends and networks what you are up to. This is still emerging, but I am sure this will catch on like wild fire soon.

During 2009 we also hit our 3 Years in Business Mark! We throw a killer Birthday Party at the end of July, if you have never come out for the fun. We cook hot dogs and burgers, make up "Barkday Cakes" for dogs and people, and take up the entire side parking lot with our business friends, all through out the day giving away prizes in "let's make a deal" style games, contests, and raffles. We'll be doing this again this year - don't miss out!

We also had the distinguished honor of being names one of Southern Living's Top 5 favorite Pet Stores. We were also featured on Ben at Work - Dog Bakery as well as named as one of KNWA's favorites of 2009 - Ben at Work - 2009 Year in Review - probably because he actually ate dog cake and spit it back out, but hey, it was fun. We did warn him. Jeff Mores and the Daily Record also posted a wonderful article about us just before our 3rd birthday party.  We were also named one of Google's favorite places, and the NWAKC gave us their award of excellence for continued service to the canine community in 2009. So many accolades this year - not sure how we can top it all. Thank you to everyone of loves and supports us!

We also (finally) joined the Rogers Chamber of Commerce. It's kind of a funny story really. We have some great customers who work at the Chamber, and they sent in one of their new sales reps to hit us up (they've been through several and we have managed to resist each one) with the pitch that the girls spend enough in our store that we "need" to buy a membership. We couldn't really argue that point, so we did.

We also saw the passing of a great lady and friend - Rozanne Lovell. One thing we were never prepared for when we went into business was the loss of customers from loss of their pets. Customers we would see every week, and then we wouldn't see them for a year until they got a new puppy and would bring them in. During three years we have grown accustomed to that, but this was the first person we lost. It's amazing how much all of our customers and their dogs feel like family to us.

Thank you to everyone! 2009 was our best year yet, and we are looking forward to an even brighter 2010!

Cold Weather Tips for Pet Owners

Hey Everyone!

It's been forever since we blogged, I guess because Christmas and New Year's were quite busy - we had lots of family in town, which is always great, but kept us occupied. Not to mention we were doing everything we could just to keep the treats in stock.  We had a great holiday season, and we thank you all for that!  Anyway, as I am sitting here now staying out of the cold, I thought I would take the time to pass along some tips on keeping your pets safe in this extreme cold.  These tips originated from the ASPCA.  You can visit their website by clicking here.

Hannah loves playing in the snow

But Sam would rather be inside 

Cold Weather Tips

1. Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, felines can freeze, become lost, injured or killed. 
   
   
2. During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars. When the motor is started, the cat can be injured or killed by the fan belt. If there are outdoor cats in your area, bang loudly on the car hood before starting the engine to give the cat a chance to escape.
   
   
3. Never let your dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm—dogs can lose their scent and easily become lost. More dogs are lost during the winter than during any other season, so make sure yours always wears ID tags.
   
   
4. Thoroughly wipe off your dog's legs and stomach when he comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice. He can ingest salt, antifreeze or other potentially dangerous chemicals while licking his paws, and his paw pads may also bleed from snow or encrusted ice.
   
   
5. Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a longer coat will provide more warmth. When you bathe your dog in the colder months, be sure to completely dry him before taking him out for a walk. Own a short-haired breed? Consider getting him a coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck with coverage from the base of the tail to the belly. For many dogs, this is regulation winter wear.
   
   
6. Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death.
   
   
7. Puppies do not tolerate the cold as well as adult dogs, and may be difficult to housebreak during the winter. If your puppy appears to be sensitive to the weather, you may opt to paper-train him inside. If your dog is sensitive to the cold due to age, illness or breed type, take him outdoors only to relieve himself.
   
   
8. Does your dog spend a lot of time engaged in outdoor activities? Increase his supply of food, particularly protein, to keep him—and his fur—in tip-top shape.
   
   
9. Like coolant, antifreeze is a lethal poison for dogs and cats. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle and consider using products that contain propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol. Visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center more information.
   
   
10. Make sure your companion animal has a warm place to sleep, off the floor and away from all drafts. A cozy dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is perfect.