April 24, 2008 Issue
Business Spotlight
The Barking Rock—Bringing Fashion and Functionality to Our Dogs’ Lives
Story by Sam Calhoun
If humans want to find the latest in fashion, they go to New York City’s Fifth Avenue. If dogs want to find the latest in canine fashion and needs, they go to Main Street in Blowing Rock.
As a dog’s equivalent of Fifth Avenue, The Barking Rock carries more pet supplies than you can shake a stick at, and pet owners will find some unique toy, bed, food or leash to fetch when they visit the store located at 1179 Main Street in the South Marke Shopping Center.
“We carry everything a dog should want or need—particularly want,” said Leanne Braswell, owner of The Barking Rock, “from clothing to baked goods to toys to leashes.”
The Barking Rock carries Doggles—underwater goggles for dogs, if you didn’t guess—dog beds of all shapes and sizes, organic dog treats and food, dog home apparel, pet car carriers, dog toys, dog strollers, dog art, dog dishes, animal-themed greeting cards, collars, leads and leashes. The Barking Rock also carries clothes for dogs, from jackets to raincoats, from shirts to hats to matching outfits. The store also offers homemade baked treats for dogs, created by a dog bakery in Charlotte.
“We are starting to try and sell ecologically friendly items, such as dog toys and beds,” said Braswell, “and we’re trying to get more items made in the U.S.A., as well as unique, local, one-of-a-kind items.”
Currently, Braswell’s store features one-of-a-kind dog beds made by a woman in Charlotte. All of Braswell’s items are available online by clicking to www.thebarkingrock.com.
Braswell bought The Barking Rock last month and officially took over on April 3. The store originally opened in 2004 on Sunset Drive in Blowing Rock and then moved for a brief time to Banner Elk. The Barking Rock has been located on Main Street since 2007.
Braswell grew up in Wilmington and attended Peace College and then the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned a degree in Spanish. While attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she met her husband Keith who now works as her only other employee at The Barking Rock. The couple has been married since 1979.
For 20 years after graduating from college, Braswell worked as a computer programmer at the University of Virginia.
“But it got too hectic and I felt it was time for a change,” she said.
Keith’s mother lived in Morganton, so the couple decided to make the move to western North Carolina and settled in Wilkesboro. Before the move, Braswell decided to take retirement, relax and think about her next move.
When the couple moved, Braswell adopted a dog named Prince from the Wilkes SPCA and her love affair with animals got a boost.
“I’ve always loved dogs,” said Braswell. “I had a friend come and ask me, ‘If you could do anything in your life, what would it be?’ I thought a bit and then thought that I wouldn’t mind working with animals. But I didn’t have a veterinarian degree or anything. So I saw this business for sale on the web and starting looking into it.”
Two months ago, Braswell purchased the business and made some slight changes. She started to phase out the dog toys from China and replace them with toys from America. She also added more organic items, such as pet toys, and increased the store’s focus on natural food items. She also has established a small, but growing, feline department.
Braswell relies on customer input concerning what items to stock in her store. She pays careful attention to her customers’ needs and then tries to order what she doesn’t already carry. Braswell also reads pet publications constantly to keep up on the trends and uses her own instincts to buy new products. Of course, Prince and all the other dogs who are allowed in the store provide a little guidance as well, curiously poking the new items and snubbing the not so popular ones.
Both visitors and locals frequent The Barking Rock. Many bring in their pets to accompany them while they shop—an activity Braswell encourages.
“They love the unique items in the store,” said Braswell. “This store is unique in the area and that was one thing that originally interested me in this store.”
Braswell and her husband still live in Wilkesboro, but have no plans to move The Barking Rock out of Blowing Rock.
“This is where I want to be,” said Braswell.
The Barking Rock is located at 1179 Main Street in the South Marke Shopping Center in Blowing Rock. The store is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 828-295-8883 or click to www.thebarkingrock.com.
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