BARK

Bark VB opened in March of 2019. Right as COVID shut down the world. Four women, all best friends, had been working on the idea of a doggy daycare two years prior. Full disclosure, one of the women is my mom. 

As the business finally opened, it immediately faced the risk of closing down due to the pandemic. With everyone at home, no dogs needed to be watched or taken to daycare, so the clientele was low. 

The progress of this business started with a dream board. Each woman created a poster board containing their aspirations for a new business. There were photos of vacation spots, their dogs, and inspirational quotes. My mother brought home her board one day and placed it on her desk.

“What is this?” I asked. 

She replied with a laugh, “We’re opening a doggy daycare.” 

I giggled and shrugged off the board, because I thought there was no way that she and her friends would possibly open a business. Happily,  I was proved wrong. 

My mother and her friends were able to buy a building on Virginia Beach Boulevard. They planned to spend the whole summer renovating and hoped to open in December 2019. The building was old, falling apart, and needed a lot of work. This put no dent in these women’s dreams. Down came the walls, the ceilings, the floors. In came the adorable Kennel houses, backyard area, and bath stations. It took about a year to finally allow dogs into the building. Once they opened, they expected good business, but COVID had other plans.

Since people were staying home, there was no need for daycare. With no business came no income. The owners weren’t able to hire employees and still be able to pay rent. So, the four of them worked countless hours together, with very little income. 

Rent started to rise and business stayed the same. The women were almost at a point of having to close. After many long days of work, stress, and low income, the government gave BARK a grant. This gave the business a little bit of wiggle room to get things going, and that’s exactly what it did. 

Each day, another dog would be added to the meet and greet list. More and more dogs flooded the playrooms. Soon the building was full of echoing barks. The numbers grew to between 20-40 dogs a day. The owners were finally able to hire employees.

To this day, the business still flourishes. They are receiving upwards of 60-70 dogs a day. They’ve opened boarding, a vaccine clinic, and training classes. The women continue to pour their heart and soul into their co-workers and the dogs. 

It amazes me to this day how something can truly begin from something as small as a vision board and a lot of determination.