Roxie's Barkery has Grown in Size
The 'barkery' offers its locally produced dog treats and custom cakes as well as merchandise.
Owner McKenna Burzimati started the dog treats business online in 2020, an outgrowth of her desire to create healthy treats for her dog, Roxie.
"Five years ago, I adopted Roxie from Dog Star Rescue, and at the time, I was working at an animal hospital, and then I had to transition to a dog daycare, and Roxy was my first personal dog," she said. "I had had family dogs pretty much my entire life, so it was my first time going out and buying things for her. And I really quickly noticed that there was not great stuff in the pet industry. A lot of treats that had artificial preservatives in it, dyes, just really bad ingredients. So I decided to start making her her own treats."
Two years later, the "barkery" moved into a storefront in the Norad Mill and added other merchandise, including some cat items. But it was soon apparent the space was too small to handle customer demand.
"We were running out of space very quickly, like within the first couple months of being in the smaller space, we knew that it was not going to last. We weren't going to be able to stay here forever, so we just kept building that out as much as we could," she said. "We weren't able to fit as many dogs. It was even a little hard with more than three people in here, you're kind of shopping over each other. And we do so many events here as well, and that started to be like lines of people out the door ... it was fun, but we could tell that sometimes it was a little bit stressful."
Earlier this year, they were able to expand into the room next door when a 3D printing company moved out. They were able to take down the wall, thanks to mill owner David Moresi, and add about 400 square feet to the shop.
"It just so worked out perfectly that our neighbors that were in this space also needed a bigger space, and a space opened up down the hallway, so they moved down there, and then Dave was amazing and willing to knock out the wall for us. So then we expanded into this space," she said.
While Burzimati's inspiration for the barkery was Roxie, her shop has found an appetite for healthy treats and dog activities in the community. Roxie's Barkery hosts many pet-friendly events throughout the year with the next an ice cream social this Saturday afternoon.
"It's an amazing feeling seeing the customers and our 'pupstomers' coming in here, and knowing that we're making a drastic change in the dog's lives, not even just when it comes to products, but like the events that we host," she said. "There's not a ton of pet-friendly things in this area. So that quickly became a thing that I wanted this space to be as well. ...
"We're not just a store, we're an experience."
Her goal is to keep expanding and offer more services, including classes. The first step was having space for more products, such as "gently cooked" foods, food toppers and other items that customers requested. The barkery produces its own biscuits, cookies and custom cakes.
Burzimati offers private shopping for customers who may have reactive dogs or who are looking to shop quietly.
"They love it, and it's a really good feeling seeing the dogs get so excited," she said. "And almost every owner that has done that has said they've never been to a pet store before, which I totally get with my dog as well. So that's a really important offering. I love those visits."
Burzimati's stepfather, John Kozik, is the biscuit baker and co-manager. He used to be the head of the food service program at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and, after he retired, decided to help her out. He said he enjoys seeing the dogs come in here and have this space for the pet community.
"In some instances, the owners will come in one door and just let their dog go and they run right to the store. Or you'll hear the ruckus coming up the hallway of the dog barking or breathing heavy, and they just know where to go. This is one of their favorite places to visit. That in itself, makes you feel like you're doing the right thing for the community and the dogs and the customers. So for us, it's really about customer and pup satisfaction," he said.
"Anything with peanut butter or bacon is definitely the most popular. Our frosty pup cups fly out of here. We cannot keep those stocked, and we have a couple locations locally that carry those as well," Burzimati said.
More than 20 other locations in the county carry products from Roxie's Barkery.
The store's hours are 11 to 6 Tuesday through Friday; 11 to 4 Saturday; 11 to 2 Sunday, closed Monday. You can also shop online.
Tags: business changes, dogs,
