Unless you have a furry friend, you may have never noticed the bright orange sign on Clark Street that reads “Dogtopia.” But for many Evanston pet parents, the doggy daycare and spa is an essential resource.
Sarah Lewis is the owner of the Evanston Dogtopia location. She says they plan to keep tails wagging 365 days a year. This comes after the announcement that a future development project would be going in its place.
SARAH LEWIS: And we’re being very clear with customers: we’re not going anywhere.
Lewis says the location is in a long-term lease. Currently, they are working with the city of Evanston and the project developers to find a suitable place to relocate. But, convenience is key: Lewis doesn’t want to make customers travel further.
LEWIS: There’s just not a lot of options here in Evanston.
Because Dogtopia is a franchise, Lewis says certain contracts protect the Evanston location from being closed. But, she said recent articles saying they are closing rather than relocating have been a “distraction” to business.
LEWIS: Even a tiny percentage of customers that don’t come in, that’s a big hit to our bottom line, and you know, labor is our biggest expense and I don’t want to cut hours for any of our team members.
[natural sound: Lewis and an employee interacting with a black Scottish Terrier named Arlo]
With the development project still far in the future, Dogtopia will continue what Lewis calls a “mission to create better canine citizens.”
Georgia Kerrigan, WNUR News.
