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Once upon a time there was a devastatingly handsome young man (at least, that’s how he thinks he should be described & since this is his story, that’s how it’s going to be done) named Kade (pronounced the same as “Jade”) that never dreamed of one day owning an online dog boutique. But in 2006, after completing his undergrad work & making preparations for law school, Kade adopted a wacky and temperamental little Maltichon he ultimately named Matza Ball. (When he adopted her, her name was Mitzi & since that’s not what he wanted her to be named, he needed something similar-sounding so as to not confuse the already-stubborn furball. His brilliant sister, Kodi, made the suggestion…only to later regret it, as she said it was a joke she didn’t think he’d take seriously. He thought she knew him better than that…)
Matza Ball (or Matza, Matz, Matzaroni, Beast, etc.) changed his life forever. Not only did she teach him patience and that he needed to be more selfless, she also made him realize that there was a severe issue that existed in the pet product industry that he’d never considered: many dogs don’t fit generic-sized dog clothing. When Kade adopted Matza, he was told that she loved to wear clothes. He didn’t believe it. Afterall, isn’t it humans that love their dogs to wear clothes & not the dogs themselves desiring this? He quickly discovered how wrong he was. He had adopted a clothes monster.
Matza had a sweater she brought along with her to her new home & one day Kade picked it up to look at it. Matz flipped out. Immediately she got on her hind legs, pointed her nose and used her head and paws to try to assist him in putting the sweater on. He thought it was just a momentary fluke. However, that thought was erased when he tried to take the sweater off of her. She got angry. Very angry, in fact. She even tried to pull it back on herself without his help. Soon thereafter he went in search of a Halloween costume. Eight costume purchases and returns later, he still didn’t have one that would fit the mixed breed Matza Ball. Extra-small was slightly too small; small was slightly too large. And that’s when he also discovered that it wasn’t so easy to find a company that could customize dog clothing. So he started one.
The company was named Second Coats, playing off of the fact that any clothing item on a dog would in fact be a second coat. (He failed to consider just how many calls he’d get from people thinking he was a painting company.) While operating Second Coats, which was an online retail dog boutique, he started getting a really good feel of what dog products worked and which ones fell short a bit. It was also during this time that he developed his own dog clothing line and offered it at wholesale to various boutiques throughout the US. His plan was to continue along this path…and then in 2009 he heard about a company for sale named Bark Slope.
Bark Slope was started in 2004 in Brooklyn, NY, paying homage to the Park Slope neighborhood. It had grown into a strong business, but the company founders wanted to focus more on their growing young family. So, Bark Slope was put up for sale, at which point Kade & his mother, Brenda, purchased it. Because of the attention it demanded from the very beginning, Kade ultimately closed Second Coats and put his wholesale line on hold while he focused on making Bark Slope the very best online dog boutique that could exist. It was also during this time that he adopted another dog, a Yorkipoo he named Tobi Knish. (Though Kade himself isn’t Jewish, he felt it was important that Tobi continue along with the same naming pattern as Matza Ball.)
Today, Matza & Tobi (aka “The Girls”) continue to be two of the greatest joys of his life and Bark Slope continues to grow, develop and evolve. Having said that, it is not lost upon Kade or the rest of the growing Bark Slope team that there is a great deal of competition in terms of online dog boutiques. Additionally, many sites claim or guarantee to have the lowest prices. Bark Slope’s guarantee, however, does not focus on undercutting the competition, since there will always be a company sacrificing something to take prices even lower—and we know exactly who pays for that sacrifice in the end: the customer. Instead, Bark Slope’s guarantee and business model hinges upon what is felt to be the most important part of our beloved business: our customers—both the human and canine varieties.
You can depend upon us to offer you the highest quality merchandise (much of which Tobi & Matza test out) and a personal touch that you won’t find everywhere else. Whether you’re looking for advice on which item to buy your pooch based upon your specific needs, need help in determining which size would be best, want an opinion about one product versus another, need a fabric swatch prior to buying a bed, or you just can’t find what it is you know you want, please don’t hesitate to ask. We can’t possibly list every available pet product on our site, nor do we want to—but that doesn’t mean we can’t get it for you—and with no additional special order charges.
In short, Bark Slope is a dog and customer-focused company ran by real people with real pets. We know what it’s like to search for a toy your dog can’t destroy in five seconds; we know how frustrating it can be to get answers about products you see online and hesitate to purchase because of the unknown; and we certainly know what it’s like to be treated like a number. That’s not the Bark Slope way.
So, take a minute to look around and be sure to let us know if there’s anything we can do to make your shopping experience exactly what it should be—fun, painless and personalized!
We sincerely thank you for stopping by!
~Kade, Brenda, Matza Ball, Tobi Knish & the rest of the Bark Slope Team
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