~ by Trevor Phipps ~
Last month, a new business opened in Woodland Park that prides itself in catering to the area’s growing canine and feline craze.
Better yet, it provides an outlet for dousing your animal with a well-needed bath without messing up your bathroom.
Blue’s Natural Pet Market And Dog Wash opened their doors at the beginning of March and was named after owner Sarah Fricke’ dog named “Blue,” who can occasionally be seen at the store.
The business, located next to City Market in the Gold Hill South Shopping Center in Woodland Park, also offers a wide variety of organic pet food and other products for dogs and cats.
“We carry foods that range in price but they all offer really high-quality nutrition. We also carry raw dog and cat food which is kind of a newer thing in the pet world,” Fricke said. “All of our treats and ‘chewies’ and stuff are also all-natural products without chemicals that haven’t been treated with harsh preservatives.”
In addition, they carry a wide variety of pet accessories such as collars, leashes, and toys.
The business does not offer grooming services, but they are equipped with a self-service dog wash station. Using the new business’ equipment, pet owners can come into the store and clean their dogs and cats. The building has two washtubs as well as a blow drying station with adjustable dryers. “A lot of dogs don’t need to go to a groomer but you don’t necessarily want the mess at home,” the store owner said.
She also said that some of her customers do not have a place at their house to clean their pets. Their pet washing rates include the use of their wash and blow drying stations, a variety of brushes, shampoos, and conditioners. Their business hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, making it convenient to wash a pet in the morning or evening.
The one service the company does offer is nail trimming. People can bring their dogs or cats into the store and the staff will use clippers or a grinder to trim the nails of the animals.
Fricke has been a dog trainer in Colorado Springs for 22 years and brings a lot of experience with pets to the table. While operating her dog training business located in Old Colorado City, she said that many people would tell her that they traveled from the Woodland Park area to Colorado Springs to purchase many of their pet products.
She then realized that there was a need for a natural pet market and self-service dog wash business in the area. “Nutrition is so important for a happy dog and cat, I felt like there was a real market for it up here because there weren’t a lot of stores in Woodland Park that were carrying those types of things,” Fricke said.
With years of experience as a dog trainer, the store owner is equipped to give customers good advice and recommendations. All of the products the store carries are all items that Fricke would recommend to the pet owners she worked with while training. She also said that all of the leashes and toys are products that she has used in the past. As a result, she knows which products work for specific pets.
All of the staff employed at Blue’s are also dog trainers who have worked with Fricke in the past, giving them the skills to offer sound advice to their customers.