RICHMOND, Va. -- This is one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. But between Back Friday and Cyber Monday, shoppers across the county and in Central Virginia also took part in Small Business Saturday.
Tony and Kailee Schieber went to Dog House Cat Pet Supply Co. at 5 W. Broad Street in the city's Arts District to pick up a Christmas gift for their Bernese mountain dog.
"I'm holding Atlas' Christmas toy, a whale," Tony Schieber explained. "He's gonna love it. I did accidentally break his reindeer rope, so we stopped by to get him a beautiful little toy."
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The couple said they have been frequenting the shop after visiting a big box store that "didn't really have what we were looking for."
"We stopped by here, spoke with the owner," Tony Schieber said. "She gave us some great advice, what to use and we should be doing with him."
Kailee Schieber said she appreciates owner Ashley Smiley's expertise.
"It's more of a personal experience being able to talk one-on-one with somebody that you know is reliably always going to be there," Kailee Schieber said. "You build a relationship with them, and you want to talk to them about your specific pet problems. So I've definitely found that like having more of a local business feel, and it definitely brings that community feel, where I feel more comfortable speaking to the owner about my specific pet questions."
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Smiley said the shop has been open for about 18 months.
"I was working in a corporate job during COVID, and was laid off and started working at another local pet store and Shore Pump and I really enjoyed it," Smiley said.
When she opened the shop she knew she wanted to focus on downtown.
"As someone who's lived in this city most of my life, I knew that there are a lot of young people and first-time pet parents and underserved communities who didn't have access to an independent pet store," Smiley said. "It's in some ways a luxury to be able to walk into a store and the owner be the one addressing you and know your name and be able to talk to you about your needs."
Smiley said being so close to historic Jackson Ward is a plus.
"There are a lot of longtime residents in Jackson Ward who care and want to see the community be the center of economic excellence that has been in the past," Smiley said. "I feel happy to be a part of an industry where there aren't a lot of visible minority faces, and so for people to come in and I'm able to create a positive experience, especially for first-time pet parents. I want to be able to create a new narrative of what it means to be a small business owner, to be a pet owner and to be a Richmonder."
The Schiebers said they will continue to support the business because they feel like Smiley is part of their extended family — especially since they adopted a third pet, a cat named Maui, from the shop.
"Everyone deserves a shot at their American dream. And if someone's dream is to build a business maybe multiple retail stores at once, then they should be able to have the opportunity to grow it," Tony Schieber said. "And being in the military, you obviously don't make that much, but coming here to the local store, you're able to get what your pets definitely need and or want."
Small Business Saturday was started by American Express in 2010 to spotlight mom-and-pop stores.
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