After selling her pet-sitting and dog-walking business, in 2006 Evelyn Couture bought into a unique pet food franchise. Then in 2011 she went out on her own and opened Döghaus. Since then, they’ve been offering professional dog grooming, high quality dog and cat nutrition and all the toys and treats imaginable. During the pandemic, we saw an increase in pet ownership, which would normally be good news for a business like Evelyn’s. However capacity limits and other restrictions on dog grooming, turned the opportunity into a challenge. How did they manage? Listen to find out.
You can learn more about Döghaus at ledoghaus.com.
Al Grego:
Hello, everyone. I'm Al Grego, and this is the Yes, We Are Open podcast.
Speaker 2:
All right, lead the way.
Al Grego:
Montreal, Quebec. The largest city in the province and second largest in Canada, with a population of over 1.7 million and a metropolitan population of over 4 million. Founded in 1642 originally as Ville-Marie, around 1705, it was renamed after Mount Royal, the triple peaked hill around which the early city was built. Montreal historically was a one-time capital of Canada before Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital in 1957, but Montreal remained the commercial capital of the country right up in until the 1970s, when it was finally surpassed by Toronto in population and economic strength.
Montreal still remains an important center for many industries, including commerce, aerospace, transport, finance, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and many, many others. Today, I'm in the west end of Montreal in a neighborhood called Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, or as a locals refer to it, NDG. Originally, an independent municipality before being annexed by the city in 1910. Today, NDG plays a pivotal role as a commercial and cultural hub for Montreal's predominantly English-speaking West End. The main commercial artery is Sherbrook Street West, which is where I find myself, along with my colleague, Lori. She wanted to introduce me to one of her favorite shops on the street and the subject of this week's episode, Doghaus.
Katherine Dupuis:
I look like the Grudge. [inaudible 00:01:59].
Al Grego:
That's Katherine. She's trying to get Janet, a black and white Corgi with brown markings, to bark for the podcast. It's not going well. She's been running around the store trying to goad Janet to chase and bark at her for the past 20 minutes. Treats have been offered, promises made, even invited Eric from the cafe next door to come over. Janet always barks at Eric, but Janet is smarter than that. She refuses to perform for us.
Katherine Dupuis:
I was here shopping yesterday. She did not stop barking.
Al Grego:
It's me.
Katherine Dupuis:
The entire time.
Al Grego:
It's me. For some reason, she-
Katherine Dupuis:
Chelsea, Mike and I [inaudible 00:02:31]-
Al Grego:
I'm beginning to better understand the WC Fields quote, "Never work with animals or children." It's quite the scene right now. We have Sarah, the store manager, my colleague Lori, and myself with recording equipment, just standing there as Katherine runs around the store with Janet. Janet's older brother, Fergus, a gray and white Sheltie with brown markings just lays in his bed behind the sales counter, oblivious. He's a deaf old dog and can't be bothered by such trivial matters.
Katherine Dupuis:
Janny-Poo. It's like all the weird words I call you, usually it makes you react.
Al Grego:
As soon as I...
In the last ditch effort, Lori calls Sherry, another store employee and someone who Janet apparently loves barking at. So I'm
Lori:
I'm at Doghouse and we're recording a podcast. So, we just needed a dog to bark, and we've got Fergus and Janet here. And it's 20 minutes, we're trying to make them bark. No, I just want you to talk to Janet on speaker-phone and see if it works. Hold on. Put you on speaker.
Katherine Dupuis:
Is that Sherry?
Lori:
Yeah. Okay, talk to her.
Sherry:
Janet, what you doing?
Katherine Dupuis:
Who's that?
Sherry:
Where's Janet? It's Sherry. Say hi, Janet. What you going to do? What are you going to do? You're going to bark.
Al Grego:
Well, once again, Janet shows no interest. My visit to Doghaus was back in March. Unfortunately, the owner, Evelyn, wasn't available then, but I caught up with her later by phone.
Evelyn Couture:
Hello, my name is Evelyn Couture. I'm one of the owners at Doghaus in NDG Montreal.
Al Grego:
When did Doghaus first open?
Evelyn Couture:
So we first opened in 2006, in the spring of 2006. But at the time we were not known as Doghaus. We were known as Bark and Fitz. We were part of the beginnings of a new franchise.
Al Grego:
Where are you from originally?
Evelyn Couture:
Originally? Originally from Montreal, moved to the townships. Ended up living a lot of my time in the townships. My husband is from Ontario. Our other partner is from Westmount, so we're from here. I mean, my husband has been living here longer than he has lived in Ontario. So, we're very happy to be here in Quebec. It's our home, so especially in Montreal, and I've always had lived the first part of my life in Westmount, but I've always considered myself an NDG kind of person, so we're happy to be there.
Al Grego:
Why did you want to start this business?
Evelyn Couture:
I actually had my own pet sitting, dog walking business for years prior to that. I didn't set out to start a dog walking business. In fact, I met my husband in school. At the time, before everything went digital, we were studying to be mapmakers, cartographers. So, it was quite a different... Yeah, so we had other plans for our careers, but then I just realized that's not what I wanted. I liked the idea of being an independent worker, being my own boss.
Al Grego:
Where do you think you got your entrepreneurial spirit from?
Evelyn Couture:
I'd say my mom. We had a farm in the townships and she was always coming up with different ideas and streams of revenue ideas, so I was always kind of inspired by her. My husband and I and another partner were looking for another adventure. After doing some research, we happened to come across this franchise, and at the time there was nothing like it. For sure, nothing like it in Quebec, and most likely also in a lot of parts of Canada. It was a very unique pet boutique to be honest, so it kind of really piqued our interest and we would've been one of the only type like this in Montreal, in Quebec.
Al Grego:
What made it so different?
Evelyn Couture:
First of all, they focused on very high quality dog food, which to be fair, at the time, there weren't many places that you could access high quality dog and cat food, not just dog food, but they also had a unique style about the store as well. The products were unique. They were a high quality. They also had a way of displaying this product that was unlike anything we'd seen before, and it piqued our interest in that sense. So, it was overall a very unique experience when you walked into the store.
Al Grego:
When did Doghaus happen?
Evelyn Couture:
God, you're asked me to do meth. I'd say 2011.
Al Grego:
So, about five years later?
Evelyn Couture:
Yeah, five, six years later.
Al Grego:
And why did you go on your own?
Evelyn Couture:
They had new people join their franchise at headquarters and they took it in a different direction.
Al Grego:
You didn't like the direction they were going, so you wanted to do it yourself?
Evelyn Couture:
Yeah, exactly.
Al Grego:
The location that I visited, was that always the location?
Evelyn Couture:
No, in fact, that's our third location. We had started off on Monkland, actually, as Bark and Fitz. At the time, we didn't have a grooming salon, and so we realized that in order to further our business, we needed to open a grooming salon as well in our location. And so we've ended up moving to Westmount also still as Bark and Fitz, and we stayed there for a couple of years. Then we did have to move again, and we found this perfect location where we are now in NDG, and so that's where we are now.
Al Grego:
How long have you been there?
Evelyn Couture:
I'd say about 11 years. Let's say 11 years, maybe 10 years as Doghaus.
Al Grego:
What would you say is your competitive advantage?
Evelyn Couture:
Oh, for sure our customer service and our knowledgeable staff. Yeah, I mean, that's the basic, right off the top. I don't think you're going to find the customer service that we provide elsewhere.
Sarah Miller Barrington:
Okay. I'm the manager of Doghouse and it's Sarah Miller Barrington. What
Al Grego:
What sets Doghaus apart from your larger retailers?
Sarah Miller Barrington:
Knowledge and education and the relationship we build with our customers that you can come and feel confident that we're giving you good advice. That we'll spend time with you, that we'll walk you through your choices and make sure that you leave feeling confident with what you've chosen, which not just like a grocery store where you grab something and go.
Every client that walks in here, we speak to. So, that is widely different. And also being someplace that people like to come, that they can bring their dogs. That's a destination, that's fun, that in our city, you can't bring your dogs many places. We encourage, we have dogs that just visit every day for treats, so being a part of our neighborhood, a part of our community, and a destination.
Al Grego:
And what about your products? I mean, when I visited the store, I got a great tour and it looks like a lot of that stuff is locally sourced?
Evelyn Couture:
Now, like I said, that's been a change that we're able to source a lot of Montreal and Quebec products, which is amazing. If it's quality product, we're going to support local as much as we can.
Al Grego:
That's great.
Evelyn Couture:
And we just try to keep things also, it's not like the whole store is unique. There's some basic things that we have to provide, but we still like to have some unique items that you may not find at a bigger store.
Sarah Miller Barrington:
We try to have host local rescues. We try to be a part of community events when they need support or when there's events in the park near us, we've been invited before and we can provide services or education for clients there. We like to have local photographers come, take professional photos and have seasonal events. So, be a destination. I don't, like-
Al Grego:
Yeah. No, that's great. When you went kind of independent, how'd business go in the beginning? Was it a success right away or did you have some building to do?
Evelyn Couture:
I mean, to be fair, just by changing the name, it wasn't for us, the whole transition being part of a franchise to being on our own, frankly, was liberating. It wasn't a struggle for that, to be honest. As I recall, it was all good experiences.
Sarah Miller Barrington:
I like that It's in my neighborhood. I like the owner stuff. It feels like a family. It's a small team. I liked the being part of my neighborhood. I live in the neighborhood. I grew up here, and we know who you are now. It feels like a small town. You know people's names, you know everyone's dogs names. It's unique and different than... It makes you care about it, makes me care about it.
Al Grego:
Up next, Doghaus has been keeping noses wet and tails wagging for the past 16 years in NDG, and their four-legged customers couldn't be happier. What happens when a pandemic forces capacity restrictions and shuts down their grooming service? How can they continue? Stay tuned to find out.
You are listening to, Yes, We Are Open. Evelyn Couture and her husband wanted to be their own bosses, so they found a great opportunity to open an exciting new pet food franchise in Montreal's West End. They eventually decided to make a go of it on their own and started Doghaus. And for the past 16 years, they've served NDG and it's canine residents well. So, how did the past two years of the pandemic affect business? Let's find out.
If I were to ask you if there was anything that happened, any the event that really threatened your business, what would that be?
Evelyn Couture:
There was a couple of things, but I mean, it dated back in the day. The first problem we did have was when we were still Bark and Fitz in Westmount, the reason we moved was due to our landlord. Sometimes the whole landlord commercial renting situation in this province. I don't know what it's like in the rest of Canada. It's just something else that had started to threaten our business because you can have a lease, but some things, just the owners of the building have more of the rights to just do what they want sometimes. We were struggling with that, which is why in the end, we were able to luckily move on from our lease that we had in Westmount and move to NDG, so that was a nice new start.
Honestly, things kind of moved along and we started the grooming. Well, we continued with the grooming. Sometimes that aspect of the business can pose its own problems because groomers can come and go. Back in the day, we've had groomers that have left us, and when you only have one and you have however many clientele, what to do with that clientele and no groomer? Because groomers are hard to find. There was a one time where I was happy to send the clients to another business down the street because we just didn't have a groomer, so what are you to do? So, that wasn't a fun time, but we found another groomer and we started up again, and so we restarted that. Sometimes those challenges happen when you have that aspect of the business.
Sarah Miller Barrington:
The pandemic has been a hurdle, but in terms of the pet industry, dogs always have to eat.
Al Grego:
Sure.
Sarah Miller Barrington:
So, we were a luckier industry than most. We never had to close entirely. We were always considered essential. We never closed our doors for COVID, ever. It was a pivot and we had to figure it out like everyone had to, but-
Al Grego:
What sorts of things did you have to do differently?
Sarah Miller Barrington:
Well, we did have staff with different health issues that meant that we had staff that left really early for safety. So, that was something we had to navigate, and then making sure our customers were safe and navigating the recommendations of that and trying to get ahead of it and whatever. Finding the best recommendations, but then using our own judgment to figure out how to keep our customers safe, that was a real struggle.
Evelyn Couture:
The pandemic, again, can't say that it was the worst for us, to be honest, because there was that phenomenon of everyone going out and getting a puppy. Not that that was a good thing.
Al Grego:
No.
Evelyn Couture:
The bad aspect was that the grooming was disallowed, so we were not allowed to have the grooming services. I mean, the big sufferers there, however, were the dogs themselves who, I mean, it was criminal actually, that they did that to them because a lot of these breeds suffered immensely by not being able to be groomed. The grooming isn't necessarily just for appearances, it's literally for the safety of these animals, for certain breeds. When the owner don't know how to take knots out, it can become quite dangerous, so that was its own challenge.
Al Grego:
Were you able to set up outside in the summer at least, or is that not allowed?
Evelyn Couture:
No.
Al Grego:
Not even, hey?
Evelyn Couture:
No, no, no. And it wouldn't have been safe.
Al Grego:
No. Okay.
Evelyn Couture:
No, I don't think so.
Al Grego:
No. How long did the lockdown happen in Montreal?
Evelyn Couture:
Such a blur. I mean, we were so very lucky that we were allowed to stay open. The worst part was not being able to do the grooming. At the time I'm here taking care of my elderly dad who had to come into the house due to COVID. The staff all went on CERB, and Sarah held down the fort. Because had no grooming. We had one client at a time, so Sarah held it down the fort basically.
Sarah Miller Barrington:
We were quite literally for a period of time, two people during the pandemic, but it was uncertain. Everything was uncertain. Nobody knew anything. It was always a factor, but we do not take for granted that we never had to close, that we were considered essential consistently. It was a pivot in terms of what we ordered and sold and all of that, but dogs had to eat and cats have to eat. So, we were luckier than a lot of places. We were in the neighborhood with small cafes or little restaurants that were closed for the better part of two years, and that we watched struggle, and we never took for granted that we were lucky to not have to be in that position.
Al Grego:
Let's talk about inflation. I mean, how has it affected this industry?
Sarah Miller Barrington:
Yeah, a lot is the answer. I mean, the supply chain, it's a unique supply chain for food, for example, and it was affected. It changed a number of times, and then the supply chain for supply beyond food, just for accessories and things, was affected the way anything else was. So, inflation in 2022 was extreme, and a lot of it we don't have any say over. A lot of the prices are set. We don't have control.
What we can control, we try to keep reasonable because it is affecting how people are shopping. It's changing their buying habits a lot, and we talk about it every day. It's a conversation with clients every day. There's some brands that I might not be able to continue to carry because of the pricing. My ordering has changed a lot because people are making drastic choices in how they're budgeting, and it's real, and it's a conversation every single day.
Al Grego:
Once things started opening up again and you were able to get back to regular kind of normal business, how did you feel?
Evelyn Couture:
I felt good. I mean, again, it comes back to we were happy when we could bring back the dogs for grooming. That helped a lot. Everybody, it was like I imagine how it was with any other business. Some people were tentative to come back into the store with all the protocols, et cetera, et cetera.
Al Grego:
Would you say business has returned back to pre-pandemic levels for you?
Evelyn Couture:
Yeah. I think the grooming is going along nicely. Again, so many people got dogs throughout the pandemic, and so they still need to eat and they still need grooming. We don't take anything for granted, mind you, so we're always trying to be one step ahead and be up on our game for our customer service and our product knowledge.
Al Grego:
Coming up after the break, we find out what the future holds for Doghaus.
Cass McPhee:
Success in business doesn't come without moments of struggle, moments when you had to face your challenges head on. As the proud partner of Canadian business, Moneris plays a critical role in empowering businesses with the payment processing tools they need to succeed. Together, we are building stronger businesses where business owners everywhere can stand up to their challenges without slowing down. Moneris, proud partner of Canadian business.
Al Grego:
Welcome back to Yes, We Are Open. With the return of their grooming business and the prospect of more community events this summer, Evelyn and her team at Doghaus are back to full business and hoping to continue strong. What does the future hold for Doghaus? Let's find out.
We're on the other side of this, hopefully, and business seems to sprung back and you've got the grooming business back and everything. So, let's talk about future outlook. What does the future look like for Doghouse?
Evelyn Couture:
I think it looks good. I mean, we're currently working on an online shop, so that's kind of where our focus is at the moment. We're always trying to improve. Whether it's the products that we get, the nutrition that we sell, the education for the staff, education for the groomers, that can always... It's sometimes ongoing with courses and things like that, so it's never day-to-day the same thing, to be honest. And so I think that's the only way you can keep getting better.
Sarah Miller Barrington:
What it might mean for us short term is to be able to start having events again, which it is something that sets us apart, that brick and mortar and boutiques, it sets them apart as an experience in store. Having events and having a place that our customers came to was important for us pre-pandemic, and that was primarily not a possibility for us for a couple of years.
Hopefully this summer will be the end. Spring, we'll feel confident and safe doing that, and we'll be a destination for our clients again. Short term, that's what we hope. And then long term, more of that providing a service for our clients to be a destination, whatever that means, because that's what sets us apart from being able to shop online, for example.
Al Grego:
Sure. Any plans for say, maybe expansion or other locations or anything?
Evelyn Couture:
No, not at the moment. I feel like maybe back in the day it was something we had thought about, but in all honesty, I feel like one store is quite nice to have, and it keeps us busy enough and there's just always things to do. I do partake in taking care of another business, and so that keeps me also somewhat preoccupied.
Sarah Miller Barrington:
I don't want to brag, but people like us. So, we've had offers and people who want to get involved and even just to expand this location, we've discussed it before, but we want to make this the best it can be and reach our potential here. We have a lot of things that we're working on like better online sales, updating our website. There's a lot of projects that we're working on now to come back from the pandemic and to make this location reach this potential.
Al Grego:
How do you feel about what you've accomplished with Doghaus?
Evelyn Couture:
Oh, super happy. Again, I always think there's more to do, more improvements, but I think I'm super happy with what we are able to do and where we're at in the community as well. The friends we've made and the people we've helped, whether it be through training or nutritional problems and things like that, so I'm very happy.
Sarah Miller Barrington:
I manage it here, and I'm here five days a week, so I kind of do a little bit of everything, which I really like, and I really love being part of the community. I like being able to walk here. For my lifestyle, I really love knowing everybody. And so it's something that, it's value added for me. Would be difficult to find in any other type of job.
Evelyn Couture:
And I have great staff and I couldn't ask for better staff, so we're very lucky in that sense because if you don't have the right staff, then it's hard to maintain a good clientele.
Al Grego:
And it doesn't suck that you get to hang out with dogs all day.
Evelyn Couture:
No, not at all. Very lucky.
Al Grego:
Excellent.
Evelyn Couture:
All the puppies.
Al Grego:
Thank you so much, Evelyn, for your time today.
Evelyn Couture:
Oh, no, my pleasure. I appreciate it. Thank you for having us.
Al Grego:
Is doghouse open for business?
Speaker X:
Yes. We're open.
Al Grego:
Perfect. That's all I needed. And now if I can get a dog barking, that would be just the cherry. She found her voice. That was perfect. That's all I needed.
Speaker X:
You got it? We're good?
Al Grego:
Oh yeah, we got it. How angry with me would you be if I said I wasn't recording?
That's the story of Doghaus. While it's true that some businesses fared better than others during the pandemic, it can also be true that those that prospered still had struggles. The past few weeks, we've heard from two cases in Landscape, Ontario and now Doghaus, where this was true. In this week's case, Doghaus was never forced to close their doors for any period of time because they were an essential service. But they did have restrictions on supply, store occupancy and grooming, which was a big part of their business. Of course, they did each have their own personal struggles during this time, as we all did.
I find it admirable that Evelyn and her team each took every opportunity at every turn to minimize their struggle because it didn't compare to what other businesses were facing. While it is true, it shouldn't diminish what they went through, but it's that kind of empathy that probably serves them well when dealing with their customers and their customers' furry family members. That's why I think the future is certainly bright for Evelyn and her team at Doghaus. In case you're curious, as expected, once we got Janet started, she wouldn't shut up. I guess she got over her stage fright. Isn't that right, Janet? Such a good girl.
Yes, We Are Open as a Moneris podcast production. I'd like to thank Lori, Katherine, Sarah, and Evelyn for taking the time to share their story. You can learn more about Doghaus at ledoghaus.com. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @doghausmtl. Haus is spelled H-A-U-S. For more information about this podcast, visit our site, yesweareopenpodcast.com.
If you'd like to support us, please write us a review on Apple Podcasts, or rate us on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're a Canadian small business owner or know of one with an interesting story of perseverance to tell, I'd love to help tell it. You can contact me at podcast@moneris.com. Tune in next week for another story of small business struggle and survival on the Yes, We Are Open podcast. I'm Al Grego, thank you for listening.