Green Goods, Healthy Dogs and Cats Mission of Green Dog Market

By Lisa Lenkiewicz

Looking for healthy, eco-friendly dog and cat foods and treats? Or natural leashes and toys? Then Green Dog Market is your answer.

In April, the store marked its first anniversary at its Farmington location. Originally, Green Dog Market was an online store, a brainstorm of Paul and Ann Fryer, who have a passion for dogs (they own two Golden Retrievers, Chester and Ellie) and a “commitment to help all dogs go green and live longer and healthier.”

Not only are the dog and cat products eco-friendly, but the store itself was built with certain specifications: The cash register desk is made from 100 percent recycled materials, including scrape 2x4's and about 350 used tennis balls. Old dog bowls are now light fixtures. The wood shelving is locally built and sourced from sustainable pine in New Hampshire. The floor is cork, and although it was purchased new, it was bought from a local retailer in order to support the business community.

Patch recently asked Ann Fryer about her store, which offers free, same-day local delivery.

Q: When did your business open? Who are the owners?

We opened our store in April 2012. My husband Paul and I opened the store together. Paul (and our dog Chester) run the store most days, and when I'm not treating (I'm a speech therapist) I'm usually at the store, too!
 
Q: What services do you offer at your company?

We deliver our products free to Farmington, West Hartford, Avon, Canton, New Britain, Plainville, Unionville, Bristol, Newington, and Burlington.  Now that we've had a year to get comfortable with the retail side, we'd also like to help our four-legged customers with services to improve their quality of life. We are looking into partnering with other pet professionals in the area to accomplish this, so stay tuned!
 
Q: Why did you decide to open in Farmington?
 
Our original goal was to open a store in or close to West Hartford. When we found this space in Farmington, it felt like a good fit. Farmington seemed to be a business friendly town, and we liked the neighborly feel and constant flow of traffic through the area. We also wanted to get established in a smaller community where we could really get to know our customers.
 
Q: How did you get a start in this field? Why did you decide to open a retail store?

Paul has always been a bit of an entrepreneur. He is great at coming up with unique ideas and making them work as a business. When we returned to West Hartford in 2008, he began researching business ideas and stumbled upon a pet supply store in West Hartford that was up for sale. Although we weren't able to buy that store, it planted a seed in our minds. We realized that our business needed to be based on our interests. Since we both love dogs and feel strongly about protecting the environment, an eco-friendly pet supply seemed like natural fit.

Q: Can you tell us about your business/educational background?

Paul is a UConn graduate and a jack-of-all-trades. He's run hockey rinks in California, created and ran a website that sold furniture made from upcycled sports equipment, started and sold a sign post installation business, and has also done project management for Puma and CNN. Paul is pursuing education in animal nutrition so that we can provide the best nutritional recommendations to our customers.

I graduated from the University of Florida with a BA in Speech Pathology.  When I moved to Connecticut with Paul, I decided to get back into the helping professions and did ABA with preschoolers who have autism. I also did some work as a language teacher at a special education middle school in Orange.

After Paul and I got married we moved to New Hampshire where I did my graduate work at UNH.  I've been working with adults doing primarily cognitive linguistic therapy since I graduated in 2006.
 
Q: Do you have a business mantra you live by?

Maybe not a mantra, but we strive  to facilitate greater awareness of sustainable living with pets. We aim to provide practical and eco-friendly products, and natural solutions to every day challenges for pet care. By providing convenient ways to reduce our "carbon paw print" we hope to help more people realize how making small changes can positively impact our health and environment.
 
Q: Tell us about some of your community service projects.

We try to support animal rescue as much as possible whether that be by donating, volunteering, or spreading the word about pets up for adoption. We are a collection site for Blankets & Bowls, a charitable group whose mission is to gather, organize and distribute needed pet items to homeless animals in shelters, reputable rescues and foster homes.

We also recently had two adoption events at Green Dog Market to celebrate our first year in business and Earth Day. We hosted a small event for Emily's Friends, as well as a larger event for Double Dog Rescue. We are happy to report that at least eight dogs were adopted during our first anniversary weekend celebration.
 
Q: Finish the sentence. When I'm not working, I'm…
(Ann)....gardening or hanging out with our dogs Ellie and Chester!

(Paul)...running with Ellie and Chester or coming up with new ways to repurpose every day items into helpful pet supplies.

BUSINESS INFORMATION
Name: Green Dog Market
Address: 784 Farmington Avenue, Farmington
Phone: 860-678-7878
Website: www.greendogmarket.com
Email: info@greendogmarket.com
Hours: Monday – Friday, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.