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Work space: WAGZ pet boutique is on the way |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 17 May 2007 |
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 The sign on the window reads, “WAGZ coming soon.” On the inside of the retail space at 132 N. College Ave. in Fort Collins, fresh pale yellow paint blankets the empty walls.
The space is still empty, yet ideas and potential are tightly packed between the bright, cheery walls. A quick walk- through with Matt and Cristin Gauthier, owners of the new gourmet pet treat, supply and novelty shop, brings the store to life.
Art will hang high on the shelf-lined walls. A case of jewelry and other stylish gifts for pets and pet owners will sit in the middle of the room and a doggie bakery offering cakes, bones and biscuits will be in the back of the store.
“We wanted to find something we love,” Matt said. “We love our pets so much, so the idea grew off of that.”
Matt and Cristin grew up an hour and a half away from each other in Indiana, but didn’t meet until life brought them both to Colorado.
Cristin previously worked for the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art and Matt was in sales.
“I was ready to start my own business and wanted to do something with an art feel,” Cristin said.
After going into dog boutiques and specialty stores in other towns and cities, the Gauthiers were surprised Fort Collins didn’t have one.
The focus at WAGZ will be the overall experience. The store will offer high-end natural dog and cat foods. After all the pet food recalls, this will be a relief for many pet owners. Matt said the store will also be a resource for information for pet owners.
WAGZ will open in mid to late June with a Web site to follow. Though starting a business is a lot of work, Matt and Cristin are all smiles.
“It’s wonderful education for anybody,” Cristin said. “You can start your own business. It’s just a matter of talking about it and then doing it.”
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VITAL STATS
Name: Matt Gauthier, 32, Cristin Gauthier, 29
Company: WAGZ of Colorado, LLC
Title: Owners
How long have you worked there?
We have an expected opening of mid to late June.
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IN THEIR WORDS
What is it about this job that makes it challenging?
As a startup business, we are faced with many challenges, however, our love for animals and the passion we have for finding ways to give back to the community and helping pet owners give back to their “best friends” is what makes us get out of bed every morning.
Pets? Family?
We currently have four pets. We have a chow/shepherd mix named Alley adopted from a no-kill shelter, a rottweiler mix named Bella from the Larimer County Humane Society, a cat named Henry from the Humane Society and our newest addition, another cat named Snoop who was given to us as a wedding present.
How do young/new employees get ahead?
We feel from experience that young and new employees get ahead, not only in careers but in life, by finding something they love to do that will give them a sense of pride and good character.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you do?
Matt: If we were not starting this business venture, Cristin would almost certainly be pursuing her love for art, especially painting and sculpture. As for myself, I imagine I would still be climbing the corporate ladder.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever done to make money?
Cristin: Detassled corn in a corn field in Indiana.
Where do you play?
We love getting up the Poudre Canyon to let the dogs run and camp.
What’s one thing about your job you would do, even if you weren’t paid to do it?
At WAGZ we plan to have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to our customers in regard to food, treats, supplements and outdoor gear. Outside of work, even if we are not getting paid for it, we always recommend and inform our friends, neighbors, and anyone who will listen about what’s right for their pets.
What’s the biggest payoff in your job?
In addition to working closely with the public, their pets and providing great service and knowledge, we feel the biggest payoff of starting WAGZ will be our ability to give some of our proceeds to different facilities and programs that focus on animal causes.
Favorite spot?
Matt: We would have to say that home is our favorite spot. Home is where the heart is. Cristin told me to say that....
Are you the boss? Do you think you should be?
In our past careers we both felt we should be the boss. What better way to become the boss than to start your own business!
What do you do when you’re not at work?
When we are not working, we spend almost all of our time with our pets, family and friends. In life, these are the most important things to us.
Favorite TV shows. Movies.
We love anything on Animal Planet.
Books.
Matt: Cristin and I are both reading “Ceasers Way” by Ceaser Millan. It’s amazing... he is the dog whisperer.
What Web sites do you have bookmarked?
We have bookmarked almost every pet store/boutique, manufacturer and distributor in Colorado.
Where do you play?
We love getting up the Poudre Canyon to let the dogs run and camp.
Go out to eat?
As far as eating goes, I would have to say most of our dollars go to the Crown Pub.
Did you ever think in a million years you’d work here?
Matt: My wife Cristin and I always knew that we wanted to start our own business some day. We reached a point in our careers where we wanted a more rewarding and fulfilling career. We felt we had come up with a fun business concept that would challenge us, give us a way to give back to the community and do something that we will truly love.
Any interesting anecdotes?
Cristin: One of life’s lessons I’ve been taught coming from a family that had its own business, is to get to know all your clients personally, offer wonderful customer service and be friendly.
Things that impress you?
We are most impressed with what a people friendly and dog friendly community we live in and that is why we chose Fort Collins as our home and came up with the idea of starting WAGZ in this area.
Things that don’t.
For the sake of this article, when asked what we are unimpressed with, it would have to be that many pet owners are still choosing to purchase lower end foods and treats for their animals. We can only guess that this is due to the fact that we only have mainly big box retail pet stores that are more interested in making money than offering quality products. At WAGZ we plan to provide exceptional customer service and product knowledge so our customers will understand the value of buying higher quality foods for their pet family members.
What do you do during your breaks?
Any breaks that we get while starting this business, we use to work out, walk our dogs, entertain friends and work around the house.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
When we are not working, we spend almost all of our time with our pets, family and friends. In life, these are the most important things to us.
Name one thing in your life that really prepared you for your job.
Matt: Both Cristin and I were raised in families that considered our pets family members. This love and respect for pets, specifically dogs and cats, has instilled the need to give our “best friends” the very best.
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