Shopkeepers don’t normally kiss their customers, but Faux Paws Owner Lynn Small often finds herself smooching some of the furry guests who step in her stores’ doors. The retailer invites and encourages pooch guests to trot into its locations across the South and dive nose first into welcoming displays designed for toy test runs.
Small owns Faux Paws with her husband, Marc, and the venture initially started with the flagship St. Augustine, Florida, store. “I was a tour guide in St. Augustine for fourth graders who took field trips here to learn about the history of our state,” she says.
One summer day, she and Marc were on a walk and spotted a gift shop that sold porcelain dog figurines — memorial keepsakes to commemorate the loss of a pet. “We bought the shop as a fun thing for my mother-in-law and I to do,” says Small.
But the sob stories were depressing. Customers entered with dear memories and sunken expressions. “We said, ‘Let’s turn this into something that celebrates your dog instead,’” says Small.
So they did, and the concept took off immediately — especially when the Smalls relocated to a cozy Spanish house with a fireplace on the main drag. “Immediately, sales blew up,” she says.
Following this success, Faux Paws expanded to North Myrtle Beach and Charleston, South Carolina. Most recently, the retailer expanded to Old Town Kissimmee, Florida.
Merchandise at Faux Paws also has a nautical twist to connect to their beachy locations.
Photos: Michele Coleman
While St. Augustine location remains the flagship store with high sales, the Barefoot Landing Faux Paws in North Myrtle Beach is a “signature store” for the retailer. Small explains that she enlisted in a visual merchandiser and designer to create a brand look and feel at the North Myrtle Beach store that they could carry to other locations.
With its Caribbean color palette and surf vibe, the store is outfitted to appeal to the four-legged guests and their owners. “We didn’t want any cutesy dog decorations,” Small says.
She adds, “It’s a person store.”
Come as you are
Setting the tone for a coastal pup hotspot, Small and the team carefully curate products and apparel to offer fun items that beg for a purchase. For instance, Haute Diggity Dog’s parody plushies include plays off of everyday brands like White Claw seltzers. “You can buy a six-pack of ‘White Paw,’ and the dog can pull the toys out of the carton,” relates Small.
She encourages managers at Faux Paws stores to listen to customers and ask for suggestions. “We had one guest say, ‘You have to get Fluff and Tuff,’ and now those are a top-selling toy,” she says of the tropical motifs, “anything crab” and seahorses.
“We give a lot of autonomy to our managers. They’re hearing from the customers, so they can make those orders.” — Lynn Small
“We give a lot of autonomy to our managers,” says Small. “They’re hearing from the customers, so they can make those orders.”
To facilitate idea sharing among locations, an ongoing group text chain focused on cool new products keeps the team informed. “They’ll text what they find to other stores so they can try it, too,” Small says. “One manager found huge, fluffy ears of corn. It was so bizarre! But they are selling great. Another found a three-foot-tall Big Foot and they are having so much fun with it!”
Faux Paws has plenty of merchandise that appeals to dog lovers, such as sox and tumblers.
Small works hard to create a fun-loving environment for managers, employees and guests. This includes an unconditional return policy. “There shouldn’t need to be any heated discussions — just let it go,” she says. “If employees are having fun and not stressed, the customers have good vibes, too.”
Small takes a no-rules approach to welcoming guests. “The biggest thing is to greet every person and pet,” she says. “You can come in with your drink, you can eat, you can spill a drink and we’re not going to sweat the small stuff.”
Additionally, with the Barefoot Landing store and now all the others following the rebrand, Small emphasizes a shopping experience that appeals to all the senses. T-shirts, doggy bandanas and all other apparel that arrive wrapped are freed from packaging so customers can touch and feel their softness before making a purchase.
Managers selected scented oils to slip into diffusers in the stores. “It smells really fresh because usually when you go into a pet store, you smell dog food,” says Small.
The Old Town Kissimmee shop scent by Aroma Retail smells the same as Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, or the scent is swapped to the same one that wafts into the lobby and hallways at a Margaritaville Resort.
Meanwhile, props such as a repainted old rowboat serve as vessels for plush dog toys, inviting four-legged guests to dive in. Displays are designated for product categories, such as a treat center, spinners stocked with leashes and collars, modules for toys and wall shelving for folded apparel.
“Everything is out on the floor and we generally don’t keep back stock,” says Small.
Memorable merchandise
Faux Paws maintains a wide variety of merchandise, mostly selected from small suppliers and mom-and-pop shops such as FunDog Bandanas out of Wisconsin.
“They are the nicest people and we just love their products,” Small says.
Pups can’t resist this colorful display full of unique dog treats.
Leashes and collars by Yellow Dog and BuckleDown are popular picks, particularly in tropical designs or with crab, seahorse and other nautical motifs. Collars bearing dog names appeal to customers, and Small is careful to maintain a wide selection and make sure none of the names are out of stock. “You can’t predict what dog will come in. When a name is running low, we order,” she explains.
NFL-licensed football jerseys by Pets First attract sports-loving dog owners, while those preferring a matchy-matchy look can pick up a Hawaiian shirt for themselves and their dogs produced by Hawaii-based RJC.
“The bar has to look full,” says Small of a treat section and displays that showcase “humanized” plush dog toys such as Barkweiser and Grrrona beer bottles, or Dirty Muttini and Dog Nog stuffies, all by Haute Diggity Dog.
Most of the buying stems from Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Florida. Small notes that her management team also keeps an eye on the market for fresh product opportunities along with gathering ideas from customer suggestions at the different storefronts.
As the Faux Paws brand expands, entrusting a team of managers with agency over some buying decisions is very important, says Small.
She adds, “Customers are family when they come into the store — that’s what it’s all about. We have a good time, and that is definitely working!”
