Category:
It offers a curated selection of gift suggestions for pets and their parents, including crystals, journals, cards, pet bandanas, and an adorable collection of soft-sculpture mice, Hylan cows, kitties and bunnies. Close by the gift area is a cupboard filled with treats exclusively for tail-waggers. There’s also a case of hand-crafted confections created to accommodate doggy dietary needs. And like any good spa, there are two private areas designed exclusively for pet pampering.
Boutique & Bubbling Bath DIY Pet Wash & Barkery, recently opened at 148 North Road Rear Plaza (Unit 1) in East Windsor, CT, is the business that owner Anna Burdick always envisioned. A little bit pets. A little bit crafts. All designed to create a doggone good community space for like-minded pet parents.
“We have something for everyone, and I just want to bring people together who have the same thought and love of their pets,” Burdick said of her fledgling business. “There’s nothing like this around here. I think that will help greatly.”
Bringing back a much-loved concept
Burdick didn’t have to start from the ground up when she was looking for a space to flesh out her pet pampering concept. The storefront on North Road had previously been a DIY dog-wash and pet-supply shop. She’d even worked there for a time — one of her many careers in pet training and care over the past two decades — before taking a year-long break to recover from double knee surgeries.
The previous pet wash and retail space, called Naturally Dogs and Cats, closed in February of this year. Burdick said when she saw the space go up for rent, she knew she’d found a home for her business concept.
She installed a second tub area for DIY dog washing, and gates so pet parents with more than one dog wouldn’t need to leave one pet in the car while pampering the other pooch. She painted and redid the floors. She brought in fixtures to house the myriad gift items she curated and the pet products, like bandanas and poop-bag holders she personally crafts. She installed lighted cases for the specialty pet confections that her mother-in-law, Terry Burdick, would supply from her Southwick, MA, cottage bakery, Nibbles. Burdick also created spaces for other doggy treats such as all-natural chews, dog cookies by the pound, pet-friendly ice cream, and specialty products from a fellow small pet business, furry friends treats.
There are even a few select items for cats — as Burdick has four felines in addition to her current rescue dog, a 6-year-old Australian cattle dog.
“I had a dream in my head and I made it happen,” Burdick said of the one-stop pet emporium she’s created.
Built with baths in mind
Though the shop in many ways resembles an eclectic boutique, it’s still the pet pampering that’s at the heart of Burdick’s new business.
“We have the two baths, and we have everything in three levels,” she said, explaining that pet parents can choose from a basic, expanded, or luxury wash package.
For example, the basic Tail Wagger package includes complimentary cotton to keep water out of the pet’s ears, use of slicker brushes to loosen coat hair before bathing, and a waterproof apron to help keep the pet parent dry. When clients get down to the wash shampoo and conditioner in their choice of scents, and a scrubby and washcloth are provided for bathing, along with a fresh towel for drying off the pet.
The Pawsitively Pampered package includes everything from the previous packages, plus use of a metal detangle comb pre-bath, and the use of a toothbrush and toothpaste, and paws and nose cream post-bath.
All DIY baths also have access to a post-wash dryer with heat and velocity controls. Packages start at $20 per pet. Burdick added that the tubs she installed can accommodate both small and large dogs.
Whatever wash they choose, Burdick said she and her staff do all of the post-bath clean up to get the tubs ready for the next client.
A business, and a passion
Burdick brings more than a penchant for pets to her new business. She’s an experienced dog trainer with education from Connecticut K-9 in Newington, CT. She also has 13 years of pet retail experience working at PetSmart in Enfield.
And she spent time working with the owner of the previous business, Naturally Dogs and Cats, before taking a year off to recover from knee surgery.
“I have experience with all kinds of dogs and all kinds of people,” Burdick shared.
All that experience gives Burdick insight not only into what pets and pet parents need and want, but also how pets react in new spaces like her shop. And she has advice for those who have dogs that might be bath-shy.
“If you want to do a bath and your dog is afraid of the bath, come in, grab a cookie and walk up to the bath, and then come back another day, so they have a positive idea of the place. That it isn’t a scary place,” Burdick suggested.
“The same thing with the vet,” she continued. “Don’t just go for a shot. Go to the vet, get a cookie, and leave.”
She said her goal is to make excursions like visits to her shop a positive experience for both the pet and the pet parent.
“We want you to take your time,” Burdick said of the pets and pet parents who visit Boutique & Bubbling Bath DIY Pet Wash and Barkery. “We’re not going to rush you. We want the dogs to be comfortable, and we want the people to be comfortable.”
Boutique & Bubbling Bath DIY Pet Wash & Barkery is located at 148 North Road (Unit 1 Rear), in East Windsor, CT.
Phone: 860-573-0024. Website: boutiqueandbubblingbath.com
THE BUSINESS PLANS TO OFFICIALLY OPEN IN EARLY JULY. CHECK The WEBSITE FOR THE LATEST DAYS And TIMES.
Hours at press time: Mon., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tues., 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Wed., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thurs, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m.to 4 p.m.,
Sun., 10 a.m.to 2 p.m.
Share this:
