Mar 21, 2011

Kernersville Boutique Goes To The DogsBy Monica YoungJournalNow.com

KERNERSVILLE — When Buddy and Susan Weiss operated Willow Run Kennels and Dog Grooming in Kernersville, they rarely had a vacation.

They boarded and groomed dogs and lived on the premises. In 1999, they sold the kennel and retired. They built a new house and prepared to enjoy their retirement.

“We sat home doing nothing,” Buddy Weiss said. “One mistake we made in retirement was to have no plans.”

Boredom prompted them to consider going back to work. They had owned a gift store years before and thought about opening another.

Buddy Weiss said they realized that they had seen pet stores with gift items and gift stores with pet items, but not many devoted to gift items solely about pets. And so Everything Barks was born.

The couple had owned, renovated and sold downtown Kernersville property during their retirement and felt like they wanted to put their new business in the historic area. They consulted their longtime friend Richard Hedgecock, an artist and the owner of a framing store, about potential real estate. Hedgecock’s response was to offer them the front part of his store frontage.

Buddy and Susan Weiss began buying inventory, calling upon their former contacts for gift items with a canine theme. They purchased coasters, plaques and wall art to accompany the original dog paintings that Susan Weiss creates. Buddy Weiss has turned Susan’s unique art into a T-shirt line that they are debuting in the store this spring.

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