Two entrepreneurs from Saffron Walden who set up a pet boutique during lockdown are celebrating a year in business.
Sinéad Capon and Daniel Brown are both animal lovers and felt there was a demand for eco friendly products for pet owners in the town and had planned to open a boutique in Saffron Walden town in the summer of 2020.
But with lockdown, the friends were anxious about opening a bricks-and-mortar business, so instead they created an online shop: Saffron Pawtique.
Sinéad explained: “The idea came about when Daniel and I were chatting about the need for quality pet products that were kind to the planet in the area and we decided to create one ourselves. Saffron Walden is a tourist town and with one in three people having a dog now, many visitors bring four-legged friends with them.
“There are so many independent shops and we thought it was a perfect place for a pet boutique to support the pet owners and those visiting the community with ethically sourced, eco friendly pet products.
“Our dream was to take over a unit in the heart of the town and had found what we thought was an ideal place, near The Common and opposite a cafe.
“But with lockdown and all shops having to close we didn’t want to delay our plans and with no idea when that might end, we thought on our feet on how we could set up, and that’s when decided to make Saffron Pawtique an online shop.”
Sinéad, 28, who lives with four cats and has a horse and a pony, and Daniel, 33, who has two dogs Talia and Pluto, who are both Pomeranian and Husky crosses, worked hard building their business on social media and sourcing product for their website, and both found it a steep learning curve. But the determined pair have sold 7,500 items and turned over almost £90,000.
They believe it’s due to pet owners being committed to finding greener products. A study by energy supplier Eon found 72 per cent of consumers said they pay attention to whether a business acts in a climate-friendly way, and 65 per cent feel it’s important the products or services they buy do not harm the environment.
Sinéad added: “The support we’ve had has been fantastic as pet owners have welcomed our products and ethos. It has been a busy year, and we’ve worked so hard and learned a lot. It’s vital to be self motivated and be a part of the online community.
“We’ve found sharing videos on social media has been very helpful in getting our message out there. There is a huge demand for ethical products are wanted and there is a gap to find the toughest ethical pet products – we are on a mission to find it.”
