Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina Swansburg.
Gina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I caught the retail bug while working with small businesses as a software consultant in 2006. I had 2 dogs at home at that time that I wanted to spend more time with and was hoping I could make a change that would allow that. I was becoming more aware of the poor quality of dog foods and treats sold in grocery and big box stores and found myself traveling far and wide to find the quality I wanted for my dogs. I also enjoyed buying beautiful collars and leashes – different styles for the holidays, pretty collars for my girl, and fun styles for my young boy. Slowly the idea of opening a store with the quality I appreciated became a reality. I opened Gone to the Dogs in November 2007.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Well, I opened just as the recession hit so there were many bumps and holes on that road. It was difficult to power through the first 4 years but we steadily grew from year to year – maybe not as fast as I expected but we gained more customers each year.
Please tell us about Gone to the Dogs.
Gone to the Dogs is for the dog lovers who want carefully selected goods for their dog. We stock a wonderful selection of dog supplies, foods, treats, bedding, bakery items, collars/leashes/harnesses, and so much more.
We are very proud of the trust our customers have in us. Our customers take comfort knowing we choose all stocked items by researching such things as the manufacturer, where it’s made, where ingredients are sourced, how the item is distributed, all before they hit our shelves. It’s important that we know as much as we can about each item before it comes through the door. We are not afraid to discontinue selling an item if it does not perform as expected or has proven to be detrimental to our customer’s dog’s health and safety. Safety is more important than anything else.
Unlike dog suppliers on the internet, we offer personalized service be it a harness fitting or a nutrition consultation. Special orders are always made when possible for items we don’t carry and not all businesses will do that. We will search for an item that a customer might have seen on another dog or try to find a supplement that a customer heard about. Whatever it takes, we will do our best to satisfy.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I don’t think I would have done anything differently. I had no prior retail experience; all the lessons learned in the past 10 years were valuable and truly created what Gone to the Dogs is now.
Contact Info:
- Address: 55 Albion Street
Wakefield, MA 01880 - Website: www.gonetothedogsgifts.com
- Phone: 781-245-6787
- Email: info@gonetothedogsgifts.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/gonetothedogsMA
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